June 14, 2021

The world’s largest online retailer, Amazon, and a host of other online retailers have all criticized a federal and state bill that will force them to verify the identities of third-party sellers and also offer consumers ways to contact stores.

While the law is intended to ensure transparency while guaranteeing the safety of products purchased, online retailers believe that the law would compromise the privacy of third-party sellers, as the majority of third-party sellers conduct their business from home.

Alexis Marvel, a spokesperson for the Makers and Merchants Coalition, one of two groups set up by online retailers to fight the bill, says: “When you look at the unintended consequences of sellers trying to choose between their privacy and their safety and their livelihood, the result is you’re going to have fewer sellers online–and that really just benefits the Walmarts and Home Depots and the Lowes.”

For more information, read the original story in Arstechnica.