RUSSIA | Amazon is liable under federal safety legislation for dangerous products offered on its site by third-party vendors and distributed by the corporation, a US government body said Tuesday.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission unanimously concluded that the e-commerce company was a “distributor” of faulty items sold on its website and packed and dispatched through its fulfilment service.
According to the agency, the corporation is legally responsible for the recalls of over 400,000 devices, including hairdryers and defective carbon monoxide detectors. It directed Amazon to develop a system for notifying customers who purchased defective items and removing the objects from circulation by creating incentives for their return or destruction.
Russia Is Relying On Unwitting Americans To Spread Election Disinformation, US Officials Say
According to Emarketer, Amazon accounts for around 40% of all e-commerce sales in the United States. The company offers various things directly to customers and also works with roughly 2 million third-party sellers, who account for the majority of sales on the site.
The online shop has been fighting the “distributor” classification since 2021 when the Consumer Product Safety Commission filed an administrative complaint against it for delivering hazardous products.
Amazon argued to an administrative law judge and a five-member commission that it should not be classed as a distributor under the Consumer Product Safety Act. The commission stated that the judge rejected the company’s argument, and Tuesday’s decree affirmed that decision.
According to the commission, Amazon neglected to tell customers about hazardous materials and “did not take adequate steps to encourage” users to return or destroy them, putting them at risk of harm.
Groups tied to the Kremlin increasingly use Russian-based marketing and communications firms to outsource some of the labour of developing digital propaganda while also masking their tracks, authorities said during a press briefing.
In March, the United States issued fresh sanctions against two of these corporations. According to authorities, the two Russian businesses constructed phony websites and social media profiles to promote Kremlin disinformation.
The disinformation can focus on the candidates or the voting process, or on problems that are already being debated in the United States, such as immigration, crime, or the Gaza conflict.
The ultimate goal is for Americans to share Russian disinformation without investigating its source. People are significantly more likely to trust and share information they feel came from a domestic source, according to officials. Fake websites that replicate U.S. news outlets and AI-generated social media profiles are only two examples.
In certain situations, Americans, as well as American tech businesses and media outlets, have willingly amplified and repeated Kremlin messaging.
“Foreign influence actors are getting better at hiding their hand and convincing Americans to do it,” said the official, who was joined by officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
Sen. Mark Warner, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed concern last month that the United States may be more vulnerable to foreign disinformation this year than it was before to the 2020 election. On Monday, he stated that intelligence agencies’ warnings reveal that the US election is “in the bullseye of bad actors across the globe.”
“It also, disturbingly, emphasises the extent to which foreign actors — and particularly Russia — rely on both unwitting and witting Americans to promote foreign-aligned narratives in the United States,” Warner, a Democratic senator from Virginia, said in a statement.
In one measure of the threat, officials monitoring foreign disinformation report that they have given twice as many warnings to political candidates, government leaders, election offices, and others targeted by foreign groups in the 2024 election cycle as they did in the 2022 cycle.
Officials would not say how many warnings were provided or who received them, but say the considerable increase reflects increased interest in the presidential race by America’s foes, as well as improved government efforts to identify and warn of such dangers.
The warnings are issued so that the targets can take precautions and, if necessary, correct the record.
Russia Is Relying On Unwitting Americans To Spread Election Disinformation, US Officials Say
Russia and other countries are also fast shifting to capitalise on recent developments in the presidential election, like as the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race in favour of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Following the attack on Trump, Russian disinformation services swiftly pushed accusations that Democratic rhetoric caused the shooting, as well as unfounded conspiracy theories claiming that Biden or the Ukrainian government coordinated the effort.
“These pro-Russian voices sought to tie the assassination attempt with Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine,” concluded the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, which monitors Russian misinformation.
Intelligence officials have previously assessed that Russian propaganda appeared to be intended to support Trump, and they stated Monday that their conclusion has not changed.
Russian disinformation continues to focus on eroding support for Ukraine, while Trump has previously lauded Russian President Vladimir Putin and is perceived to be less supportive of NATO.
While China launched a massive disinformation effort ahead of Taiwan’s last election, the country has been far more cautious when it comes to the United States. Beijing may employ disinformation to target congressional campaigns or other down-ballot races where a candidate has expressed strong views about China. However, authorities suggested Monday that China is unlikely to try to influence the presidential race.
The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, stated on Monday that his country has no intention of interfering with US politics.
However, Iran has adopted a more assertive stance. Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, stated earlier this month that the Iranian government had surreptitiously sponsored American protests against Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. According to Haines, Iran-linked groups have posed as online activists, supported protests, and provided financial support to some protest groups.
Iran opposes candidates who are likely to exacerbate tensions with Tehran, authorities added. That description suits Trump’s government, which terminated a nuclear agreement with Iran, reimposed sanctions, and ordered the assassination of a senior Iranian commander.
Messages left with Russian and Iranian government spokespeople were not returned promptly on Monday.
SOURCE | AP
