Amazon’s Action Against Perplexity’s Comet Browser

Amazon has directed Perplexity to withdraw its Comet browser from its online platform after multiple notifications regarding violations of Amazon’s service terms. Both corporations confirmed this action on Tuesday, highlighting the ongoing tension between major tech firms and novel AI-driven commerce solutions.

Perplexity’s Response to Amazon’s Demands

In a blog entry entitled “Bullying is not innovation,” Perplexity articulated its stance, accusing Amazon of leveraging its dominant market position to suppress creativity. The company stated that they received a strong legal notice from Amazon, insisting that they prevent Comet users from employing their AI assistants on Amazon. They emphasized that this represents Amazon’s initial legal action against an AI entity, posing a significant threat to all users of the internet.

Amazon’s Justification for the Move

Amazon contended that Perplexity’s AI assistant did not clearly reveal itself as an automated entity during interactions on their platform. The retail giant pointed out that other third-party applications, which operate on behalf of customers, do make their identities known. Amazon explained, “It’s standard for others to reveal who they are, including food delivery services and the restaurants they represent, delivery apps and the stores they order from, as well as online travel agencies and the airlines they book with.”

A Simple Fix or a Deeper Issue?

As per Amazon, the solution is straightforward: Perplexity needs to be transparent about its identity when acting on a user’s behalf. Nevertheless, the company also suggested that they may choose to block such agents altogether. Amazon further stated, “It is quite clear that third-party applications making purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate transparently and adhere to the decisions made by service providers regarding their participation.”

Financial Motivations Behind Perplexity’s Browser

Perplexity alleges that Amazon’s actions stem from financial interests. The startup suggests that autonomous shopping tools like Comet could undermine Amazon’s advertising and product placement income by bypassing promotional material. A bot looking for a laundry basket, for instance, would be unaffected by related product suggestions or upselling initiatives.

Previous Controversies Surrounding Perplexity

This situation is not the first instance of Perplexity encountering scrutiny concerning its online data practices. Earlier in the year, Cloudflare claimed that the company was scraping content from websites that had opted out of AI crawling. Supporters of Perplexity defended their browser, asserting that it only accessed publicly available pages in response to user inquiries, mimicking human browsing behaviour. However, critics pointed out that the company had concealed its identity during these processes.