Via Email and Hand Delivery

Mr. Donald S. Clark
Secretary
Federal Trade Commission
Room H-159
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20580

re: Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security - Nomination, P004807

Dear Mr. Clark:

By this letter, and through the undersigned counsel, Amazon.com, Inc. ("Amazon.com") nominates a representative to serve on the Commission's Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security.

Amazon.com enthusiastically supports consumer online privacy and welcomes the formation of this Advisory Committee. With annualized sales over $2.6 billion, Amazon.com is the world's largest online retailer. In addition to selling books, CDs, videos cassettes and DVDs, toys, consumer electronics and software, and home improvement items, Amazon.com provides virtual storefront space to hundreds of sellers through its Z-Shops(, and runs a thriving auction site. Amazon.com's commitment to being the world's most customer-focused company requires it to be extremely responsive to all customer concerns, including those relating to online privacy.

In support of this nomination, the following is shown:

1. Amazon.com's participation would promote a balance of points of views represented and functions to be performed by the Advisory Committee. Amazon.com believes it crucial for the FTC and its Advisory Committee to consider the actual operations, customer concerns, privacy precautions, and legitimate business interests of online retailers. No company could better provide this balance and provide this information than Amazon.com.

 

2. Amazon.com's representative will have expertise in and knowledge of the issues that are the focus of the Advisory Committee's work. Amazon.com's representative will be very familiar with the consumer online privacy issues being considered by the FTC, as well as the positions of Amazon.com and various other interested parties. In the past, Amazon.com has filed comments with the Commission, including comments on proposed rules implementing the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

 

3. Amazon.com well reflects the views of the relevant affected interests. The interests of online consumer businesses would be well-reflected by Amazon.com's representative. Not only is Amazon.com the world's largest online retailer, it also is familiar with positions of other key industry players through participation in industry-wide activities and organizations, including the NetCoalition.com group.

Amazon.com expects to nominate an individual representative of the company for the Advisory Committee very soon. Until then, Amazon.com may be contacted via the undersigned (pmisener@wrf.com / 202.719.7190), or directly to Mr. David Gabrieli (davidg@amazon.com / 206.266.2204). Thank you for your consideration of this nomination. The original of this letter and two copies are enclosed. Also enclosed on a diskette is a copy of this letter in MS-Word for Windows 95, Version 7.0c

Sincerely yours,

Paul E. Misener
Counsel for Amazon.com, Inc.

Enclosure