Fairness of online retail platforms’ recommendations

Last fall, the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint alleging that Amazon Marketplace unfairly highlights its own products on its website to encourage consumers to select the Amazon brand over competitors’ products. The Regulatory Review reports today on a study that questions that conclusion. The study’s authors explain how evaluating the fairness of product placement on a retail platform is complex and argue that Amazon is likely not giving its products preference over others. The Regulatory Review’s article is here, with links to the study.