Amazon investigates AI data scraping report; OptumRx pays $20 million to settle opioid investigation

The Amazon Web Services AWS logo is seen on the opening day of the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) audiovisual and systems integration trade show in Barcelona on January 31, 2023. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP) (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

Amazon is investigating allegations that the AI ​​startup Perplexity AI is scraping together content – ​​including from well-known news sites – without permission.

Amazon spokeswoman Samantha Mayowa confirmed on Friday that the tech giant was evaluating information it received from news outlet WIRED, which published an investigation earlier this month saying Perplexity appears to collect content from websites that have banned access to such practices. Perplexity uses servers from Amazon Web Services, also known as AWS.

Amazon’s “terms of service prohibit abusive and illegal activities, and our customers are responsible for complying with those terms,” ​​Mayowa said in a prepared statement. “We regularly receive reports of suspected abuse from a variety of sources and engage with our customers to understand these reports.”

Perplexity spokeswoman Sara Platnick said Friday that the company has determined that services controlled by Perplexity do not crawl websites in a manner that violates AWS’s terms of service.

OptumRx pays $20 million to settle opioid investigation

OptumRx is paying $20 million to settle allegations that the company violated federal law by shipping opioids along with other drugs without clearing up all doubts about whether the drugs were for legitimate medical purposes.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, between 2013 and 2015, OptumRx may have improperly filled “certain opioid prescriptions in combination with other drugs,” including benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants.

“The combination of Trinity-style prescriptions contributed to the outbreak of the opioid addiction crisis and is a warning sign that this registrant should have recognized and responded to rather than putting profits above patient safety,” DEA Deputy Commissioner Thomas Prevoznik said in a press release Thursday.