Are Amazon employees selling customer details to China?

San Francisco, Sep 17: Amazon, the American electronic commerce giant has confirmed that it has begun investigating the allegations that its staffs sold confidential customer data to third party companies particularly in China.

It was recently alleged that employees of the e-retailer sell internal data and other confidential information -- usually through intermediaries -- to merchants who sell their goods on the US giant's website.

On Amazon, customers can buy products sold directly by the company along with goods from many other merchants. The practice under investigation is a violation of company policy. It is particularly present in China. The intermediaries in Shenzhen working for group employees and selling information on sales volumes for payments ranging from 80 to more than 2,000 dollars.

The statement released by Amazon spokesperson reads as, ""We have zero tolerance for abuse of our systems and if we find bad actors who have engaged in this behaviour, we will take swift action against them, including terminating their selling accounts, deleting reviews, withholding funds, and taking legal action." It also said that the company is "conducting a thorough investigation of these claims.'

Amazon employs approximately 560,000 people worldwide.