Federal Judge Blocks Perplexity AI’s Shopping Agent on Amazon
- A U.S. District Judge issued a preliminary injunction against Perplexity AI, blocking its Comet browser from making purchases on Amazon.
- Amazon accused Perplexity of accessing password-protected Prime accounts without authorization under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
- Perplexity argued that its AI agent inherits user permissions, but the court rejected this argument preliminarily.
- The ruling requires Perplexity to stop using these accounts and destroy any collected Amazon customer data.
- Amazon updated its Business Solutions Agreement to require AI agents to identify themselves when accessing services starting March 4, 2026.
This legal battle highlights the unresolved issue of whether AI agents can operate on platforms without explicit consent from those platforms, potentially setting a precedent for future cases in e-commerce. The case underscores Amazon’s efforts to control how AI interacts with its platform while it develops its own tools.
Judge Chesney’s preliminary ruling may influence how companies manage access by third-party software agents, emphasizing platform control over user-authorized activities. (Source)
