India's Human Rights Body Calls for Scrutiny of Amazon Warehouse Labor Practices

A sign is pictured at the Amazon Fulfilment Center in Peterborough, eastern England, Nov. 27, 2019. (AFP)
A sign is pictured at the Amazon Fulfilment Center in Peterborough, eastern England, Nov. 27, 2019. (AFP)
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India's Human Rights Body Calls for Scrutiny of Amazon Warehouse Labor Practices

A sign is pictured at the Amazon Fulfilment Center in Peterborough, eastern England, Nov. 27, 2019. (AFP)
A sign is pictured at the Amazon Fulfilment Center in Peterborough, eastern England, Nov. 27, 2019. (AFP)

India's human rights commission asked the government on Wednesday to look into allegations of labour law violations at an Amazon warehouse near New Delhi over alleged harsh working conditions during a severe heatwave.

Indian media this month reported that workers in the e-commerce giant's warehouse in Manesar, near New Delhi, complained of a lack of water and toilet breaks as they were under pressure to achieve packaging targets.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in a statement said the findings "raise a serious issue of human rights of the workers" and asked the labour ministry to look into the alleged labour law violations within one week.

While the NHRC statement referred to alleged misconduct by a multinational company, the Commission confirmed to Reuters it was in reference to the Amazon warehouse near New Delhi.

Amazon in a statement said the safety and wellbeing of its associates and employees is its top priority.

"We provide adequate provision of water and hydration, as well as regularly scheduled rest breaks in a cooler environment, and we ensure additional breaks when temperatures are high," it said.

Amazon has faced criticism elsewhere over working conditions, including multiple strikes at a UK warehouse and a $5.9 million penalty over productivity quotas for its workers in the US The company has denied that warehouse workers have fixed quotas.

In 2021, Amazon apologised after allegations emerged that its truck drivers sometimes had to urinate in bottles during delivery rounds. Manesar is one of many Amazon warehouses in India, a key market where it has invested more than $6.5 billion.

The facility has 1,000 workers, said Amazon India Workers Association head Dharmendra Kumar, who told Reuters on Wednesday, "we are hoping for corrective measures to ensure workers have a decent living wage and adequate social protection."



Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators

Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators
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Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators

Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators

Meta Platforms plans to offer Instagram and Facebook users in Europe the option to receive "less personalized ads," the tech giant announced on Tuesday, in an effort to allay regulators' mounting concerns.

The Menlo Park, California-based company said it is implementing these changes in response to demands from EU regulators.

Over the coming weeks, people in the EU who use the company's social media platforms for free with ads, will be able to choose to see ads based on what Meta calls "context"- content that a user sees during a particular session on the platforms.

According to Reuters, these ads will also target users based on age, gender, and location, with some being unskippable for a few seconds.

Meta also plans to reduce the price of ad-free subscriptions by about 40% for European users.

This move comes as European regulators intensify efforts to curb Big Tech's power and level the playing field for smaller firms, including through the landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) which came into force earlier this year.

The European Union law aims to make it easier for people to move between competing online services like social media platforms, internet browsers and app stores.

Last month, Europe's top court ruled that Meta must restrict the use of personal data harvested from Facebook for targeted advertising, supporting privacy activist Max Schrems.

The European Union did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The developments were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Earlier in November, Reuters reported that Apple is set to be fined by the European Union's antitrust regulators under the bloc's landmark rules aimed at managing Big Tech's influence, making it the first company to be sanctioned.