Internet retailer Amazon is denying that pro-WikiLeaks hackers were responsible for the failure of its Web sites in several European countries. Amazon sites were offline for about half an hour in Britain, France, Germany and other countries late Sunday, leading to speculation they could have been targeted by online “hacktivists.” Get the full story »
Amazon
Visit our Filed page for categories. To browse by specific topic, see our Inside page. For a list of companies covered on this site, visit our Companies page.
Amazon invests $175M in LivingSocial
LivingSocial, a deal-of-the-day company that’s seen as one of Groupon’s biggest rivals, said Thursday it has received a $175 million investment from e-commerce giant Amazon.
The Washington, D.C.-based start-up’s latest round of funding also included another $8 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners of Menlo Park, Calif. Lightspeed had previously led a $14 million round of funding for LivingSocial in April. Before that, the daily deal site had conducted two other rounds totaling $30 million.
LivingSocial said it plans to use the money for expansion. The daily deal site is in more than 120 markets, including cities in Europe and Australia, and projects its 2011 revenue at more than $500 million. Get the full story »
Wal-Mart to offer price matching on ‘Black Friday’
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it will match rivals’ prices on “Black Friday,” upping the ante in the battle to win sales on what is considered to be the kick-off to the U.S. holiday shopping season and a gauge of how overall holiday retail sales will shape up. Get the full story »
Amazon allows Kindle e-books as gifts
Amazon.com Inc. has begun allowing customers to give its Kindle e-books to others.
Before, customers could only give gift certificates to cover the cost of an e-book. Get the full story »
Amazon.com to launch film production site
Amazon.com is launching Amazon Studios, a new website that lets users upload scripts and sample movies and then use community tools to evaluate and edit each others’ work.
Amazon hurt by rivals’ free shipping, deals
Amazon.com shares tumbled as much as 4 percent Monday on concerns that offers of free shipping by Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other retailers could challenge the online company’s results. Get the full story »
Amazon to hire more than 15,000 for the holidays
Amazon.com Inc. said Friday that it is hiring more than 15,500 people to fill temporary holiday jobs at shipping centers around the country, more than it hired last year.
The online retail giant said in news releases that it will hire more than 5,000 people in Phoenix and Goodyear, Ariz., and 4,000 in Pennsylvania at locations including Allentown, Hazleton and Lewisberry. Get the full story »
Amazon no longer selling guide for pedophiles
Amazon is no longer selling a self-published guide for pedophiles. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Amazon.com Inc. had pulled the item, or whether the author withdrew it. Amazon did not immediately return messages Thursday.
Pedophilia guide sold by Amazon causes outrage
Amazon.com Inc. is selling a self-published guide that offers advice to pedophiles and that has generated outrage on the Internet and boycott threats.
The availability of “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover’s Code of Conduct” calls into question whether Amazon has procedures — or even an obligation — to vet books before they are sold in its online stores. Amazon did not respond to multiple e-mail and phone messages. Get the full story »
Amazon to buy Diapers.com owner for $500M
Expanding its online retail empire, Amazon.com Inc. said Monday that it is buying Quidsi, the owner of Diapers.com and Soap.com, for $500 million in cash.
Judge: Free speech protects Amazon buyers’ data
A federal judge says constitutional free-speech rights protect Amazon.com customers from North Carolina tax collectors who wanted to learn what they bought from the online retailer.
Amazon to let readers lend Kindle books
Amazon.com Inc. is going to allow the lending of e-books purchased from its Kindle Store.
The online retailer announced the upcoming feature in a discussion forum for the Kindle on its website Friday, saying that later in the year it will start letting Kindle users and people who use its free Kindle apps loan books to others for a two-week period. During the loan, the book’s owner will not be able to read the book, Amazon said.
Amazon to compete with Google on Android apps
Amazon.com Inc. plans to open a software-applications store for smartphones running Google Inc.’s Android operating system, putting it in head-to-head competition with Google’s own digital-app store.
According to an Amazon document for developers viewed by The Wall Street Journal, Amazon would take a 30 percent cut of sales, with the developers keeping the rest. The document includes a stipulation that the apps can’t be offered at a lower price elsewhere. Get the full story »
Gold shoots to all-time high
Gold surged to a new record peak on Tuesday as several reports heightened prospects that central banks would stimulate the economy with new liquidity, driving the euro to a fresh five-month high against the dollar and triggering a series of automatic buy orders.
Aug. 18, 2010 at 5:17 p.m.
Comments Off
Filed under: Internet, Policy, Technology, Telecommunications U.S. companies, others meet again on Web traffic
Lobbyists for phone, cable and Internet companies including Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. met Wednesday to again try to agree on how to manage Internet traffic, three sources familiar with the meeting said.
The sources said the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Google Inc were not involved in the latest industry effort to agree on “net neutrality”, the concept that high-speed Internet providers should not block or slow selected information or make websites pay for faster ways to reach users. Get the full story »
