As a Virginia lawmaker, Ibraheem Samirah has studied internet privacy issues and debated how to regulate tech firms¡¯ collection of personal data. Still, he was stunned to learn the full details of the information Amazon.com Inc. has collected on him.
The e-commerce giant had more than 1,000 contacts from his phone. It had records of exactly which part of the Quran that Samirah, who was raised as a Muslim, had listened to on Dec. 17 of last year. The company knew every search he had made on its platform, including one for books on ¡°progressive community organizing¡± and other sensitive health-related inquiries he thought were private.
¡°Are they selling products, or are they spying on everyday people?¡± asked Samirah, a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
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