Support of Authoritarian Regimes - Companies actively supporting, financing and legitimising regimes and unethical policies.
Amazon and Jeff Bezos support Donald Trump's agenda.Source: EthicalConsumer.org: The relationship between Amazon and Trump: profiting from power (2025)
Big Tech - Big Tech companies do not nourish people and planet. This is especially true in times of political tension.
Amazon is a dominant force in global e-commerce, cloud computing (AWS), and digital advertising, wielding significant market power and influence across multiple industries.
Source: The Verge: Arizona accuses Amazon of being a monopoly and deceiving consumers with ‘dark patterns’ (2024)Ars Technica: FTC files “the big one,” a lawsuit alleging Amazon illegally maintains monopoly (2023)
Privacy Concerns - User data is likely to be stored and used against users' best interest.
Amazon’s Ring cameras and other devices collect vast amounts of user data, often without explicit consent, and have been criticised for sharing data with law enforcement and third parties, raising serious privacy and surveillance concerns.
Source: Wired: All the Data Amazon’s Ring Cameras Collect About You (2022)
Exploitative Labour Practices - Poor working conditions and low wages for workers involved in production or services.
Amazon has been widely criticized for poor working conditions in its warehouses, including high injury rates, excessive productivity demands, anti-union tactics, and low wages. The company has faced multiple lawsuits and regulatory actions over its labor practices.
Source: The Verge: Amazon union workers and the Teamsters have inked a deal (2024)The Verge: The fight to unionize Amazon’s warehouses (2022)
E-Waste - Contribution to electronic waste through non-recyclable or short-lived products.
Amazon contributes to the global e-waste crisis by selling vast quantities of electronics (e.g., Kindles, Echo devices) and encouraging frequent upgrades. The company has also been found destroying unsold electronics and other products, adding to landfill waste.
Source: The Verge: Amazon labels millions of unsold products for destruction, new investigation finds (2021)Wired: Amazon Pulls Support for Perfectly Fine Older Kindles (2026)
Lack of Transparency - Opacity in operations, data handling, or supply chains, making it difficult for users to understand practices.
Amazon has been accused of lacking transparency in its algorithms, business practices, and environmental impact. For example, its climate reports and data usage policies have been criticised for omitting key details and misleading claims.
Source: The Verge: DC’s antitrust suit against Amazon is back from the dead (2024)
Monopoly - Market dominance that stifles competition and limits user choice.
Amazon holds a dominant position in online retail, cloud computing (AWS), and digital advertising, often accused of using anticompetitive practices to maintain its market power, such as restricting third-party sellers from offering lower prices elsewhere.
Source: The Verge: DC’s antitrust suit against Amazon is back from the dead (2024)TechCrunch: The FTC just hit Amazon with a major antitrust lawsuit (2023)
Greenwashing - Misleading consumers about the environmental impact or sustainability of products or services.
Amazon’s "Climate Pledge" and other sustainability initiatives have been criticised as greenwashing, with employees and external groups arguing that the company’s emissions continue to rise despite its simulated commitments.
Source: Wired: Amazon Workers Walk Out Over Layoffs and Broken Climate Promises (2024)The Verge: Amazon’s climate pollution is getting way worse (2022)Ars Technica: Amazon backs power plant that may become top source of US climate pollution (2026)
Tax Avoidance - Aggressive strategies are being deployed to avoid paying taxes.
Amazon has been accused of using tax loopholes and routing profits through low-tax jurisdictions (e.g., Luxembourg) to minimise its tax obligations, facing multiple investigations and fines in the EU and US.
Source: The Verge: Amazon’s $300 million tax bill rejected by EU judges (2021)The Register: Amazon dodges $1.5bn US tax bill (2017)
AI Bloat - Service has unnecessary or harmful AI features.
Amazon integrates AI into many of its services, often leading to unnecessary complexity, inefficiency, and resource waste. The company has also been criticised for destroying rare books to train AI models, raising ethical and environmental concerns.
Source: Ars Technica: Lazy use of AI leads to Amazon products called “I cannot fulfill that request” (2024)Wired: Amazon Workers Issue Warning About Company’s ‘All-Costs-Justified’ Approach to AI Development (2025)404 Media: We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility (2026)