lina khan
Bulletins

FTC is digging into Amazon as the US deals with supply chain issues

The ecommerce giant, which the Federal Trade Commission is already probing, is one of several companies that received information demands on supply chain disruptions from the agency.

A bird's-eye view of a container port.

The FTC is asking companies about supply chain disruptions, price hikes and competition.

Image: Chuttersnap/Unsplash

The FTC said Monday it had sent information demands to Amazon as the agency delves into supply chain disruptions.

The commission is investigating "serious and ongoing hardships for consumers" as well as competitive concerns arising from issues that have delayed deliveries and raised prices ahead of the holiday season. The FTC sent letters to eight other companies in various parts of the global supply chain for goods, most of them primarily offline, including Walmart, Procter & Gamble and Kraft Heinz.

The FTC sent the letters on a bipartisan basis under powers that allow the commission to obtain information as it examines trends within or across industries. The commission said it wanted the companies to send internal documents related to strategies, pricing, marketing, profit margins and more.

The probes don't require a law enforcement purpose, though the responses can end up in competition or consumer protection probes that are the FTC's traditional focus. The commission is also investigating Amazon's competitive conduct.

Ben Brody

Ben Brody (@ BenBrodyDC) is a senior reporter at Protocol focusing on how Congress, courts and agencies affect the online world we live in. He formerly covered tech policy and lobbying (including antitrust, Section 230 and privacy) at Bloomberg News, where he previously reported on the influence industry, government ethics and the 2016 presidential election. Before that, Ben covered business news at CNNMoney and AdAge, and all manner of stories in and around New York. He still loves appearing on the New York news radio he grew up with.

amazonftcsupply chainlina khan
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