Amazon blocks Meta's Muse agent from shopping on its store

Amazon has blocked Meta's Muse agent from shopping on its store on behalf of users, GeekWire reported. A popup began appearing for Muse users on Sunday saying that continued access by an unauthorised AI agent violates Amazon's conditions of use, to which its customers have agreed.

Meta did not tell Amazon that Muse would reach the store, according to GeekWire. Amazon also raised privacy and security concerns, saying Muse does not identify itself as it browses and appears to capture customer credentials. An unnamed Amazon spokesperson gave that statement to GeekWire.

The two accounts conflict. Amazon said Muse appears to capture customer credentials. Meta said when it launched Muse this month that the agent cannot see secure login details or card payment information. Neither company has published evidence on the point, and reports since the launch say Muse can see the contents of user messages.

This is not Amazon's first move against a shopping agent. It sued Perplexity in November last year over the Comet browser's shopping feature, and a judge sided with Perplexity in August, The Verge said. Amazon's confirmation emails have omitted item names and product images since July.

Before the block, The Verge said it used Muse during testing to buy tank tops from Amazon while other products sat in the basket. Amazon's spokesperson said applications that buy for customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect a service provider's decision on whether to take part.