Amazon fires workers who shared customer email addresses, phone numbers
'We are working with law enforcement in their prosecution'
Amazon has fired a number of employees who shared customer email addresses and phone numbers with third parties without customers' consent, an Amazon spokesperson said.
The Seattle-based company on Friday sent an email obtained by TechCrunch to customers who were affected by employee actions that the company said were "in violation" of its policies.
"We are writing to you to let you know that your email address and phone number were disclosed by an Amazon employee to a third party in violation of our policies. As a result, the employee has been terminated, and we are working with law enforcement in their prosecution. No other information related to your account was shared," the email reads.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed with TechCrunch that a "number" of employees were fired in connection with the leaks. Amazon didn't immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
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The e-commerce giant's home security company, Ring, confirmed firing four employees for abusing their ability to view customers' video feeds in a Jan. 6 letter to five Democratic U.S. senators.
The letter came in response to a Nov. 2 missive from the lawmakers requesting that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos disclose information regarding Ring's privacy practices, given its ability to upload "video footage detailing the lives of millions of Americans in and near their homes" to its servers.
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"Over the last four years, Ring has received four complaints or inquiries regarding a team member’s access to Ring video data," Amazon Vice President of Public Policy Brian Huseman wrote in the letter. "Although each of the individuals involved in these incidents was authorized to view video data, the attempted access to that data exceeded what was necessary for their job functions."
Ring has come under the spotlight in recent months after a slew of hacking attempts on its security cameras, which are used by millions all over the country.
