Hannah Carter- Amazon has sent a cease and desist letter to Perplexity, accusing its AI browser, Comet, of unlawfully accessing private customer accounts by disguising itself as a human user.
- Perplexity has fired back, calling Amazon’s move a monopolistic threat to user freedom and the future of internet automation.
- The conflict raises critical questions about the legality and ethics of “agentic browsing” and could set a precedent for other AI agents, like OpenAI’s Atlas.
- Despite the tech’s promise, a recent survey shows 66% of consumers are not ready to let AI make purchases for them, highlighting a significant trust gap.
Amazon Draws a Legal Line in the Sand
The battle over the future of AI-powered web browsing has officially begun, and Amazon is throwing the first punch. The e-commerce giant has issued a cease and desist letter to AI company Perplexity, claiming its agentic browser, Comet, is breaking the rules. According to Amazon, Comet isn’t just browsing—it’s allegedly disguising itself as a human to sneak past technical barriers and access private customer accounts without permission.
In its legal complaint, Amazon pulled no punches. “It is about a company that, after repeated notice, chose to disguise an automated ‘agentic’ browser as a human user, to evade Amazon’s technological barriers, and to access private customer accounts without Amazon’s permission,” the filing states. The core of the issue is unauthorized access, a move that raises serious questions about data security and privacy. When an AI can access your account, it brings up concerns about who is truly in control of your personal information. For users worried about their digital footprint, services that protect against unauthorized data access and identity theft are becoming increasingly essential.
Recommended Tech
The TechBull recommends considering a digital security service like Aura to protect your private data and finances from prying eyes and potential AI-driven threats. It helps you stay in control of your information across all your online accounts.
An Amazon spokesperson added more context, telling reporters, “Agentic third-party applications such as Perplexity’s Comet have the same obligations, and we’ve repeatedly requested that Perplexity remove Amazon from the Comet experience, particularly in light of the significantly degraded shopping and customer service experience it provides.”
Perplexity’s Defense on User Rights
Perplexity isn’t taking the accusation lying down. The company responded with a public statement, framing Amazon’s legal threat as an attack on innovation and user choice. In a blog post, Perplexity argued that the very nature of software is changing. “For the last 50 years, software has been a tool, like a wrench in the hands of the user,” the company wrote. “But with the rise of agentic AI, software is also becoming labor: an assistant, an employee, an agent.”
Kent Byrnes, Perplexity’s Vice President of Legal, was even more direct. “Amazon wants a monopoly on automated shopping agents,” he stated. “This is about user freedom and the future of internet commerce.”
What Exactly Is Agentic Browsing?
So, what is this technology at the heart of the dispute? Agentic browsers like Perplexity’s Comet and OpenAI’s Atlas use large language models to act on a user’s behalf. Instead of just searching for information, they can navigate websites, fill out forms, and even make purchases. This blurs the line between a simple script and an autonomous agent making decisions for you.
As Sara Mitra, an analyst at Luna Base AI, puts it, “These agentic AIs challenge the traditional boundary between user automation and violation of platform policies, especially regarding personalization and data security.” You can read more about the technical implications in a detailed analysis by Luna Base AI.
Get the latest tech updates and insights directly in your inbox.
Is OpenAI’s Atlas the Next Target?
The big question across the industry is whether this is a one-off issue or the start of a wider crackdown. Legal experts are watching closely. Professor David Lin, a tech law specialist at Stanford Law School, believes this could have a domino effect. “If Amazon’s argument that undisclosed bots are unauthorized holds, other agentic AIs—including those from OpenAI—could soon face similar action in any marketplace with strict access controls,” he said.
This isn’t Perplexity’s only legal headache. The company is also facing an ongoing lawsuit from Reddit over similar claims of stealthy agentic behavior. As The Register noted, it seems “both sides are going to have to bleed before they realize that they’re better off working together,” pointing to the uncertainty shaking the entire sector.
Are Consumers Ready to Hand Over the Keys?
Even if the tech works perfectly, there’s another major hurdle: consumer trust. According to a February 2025 Omnisend survey, a staggering “66 percent of consumers refuse to let AI make purchases for them, even if it promises better deals.” People just aren’t comfortable letting an algorithm handle their money yet.
E-commerce analyst Glenna Moore agrees. “Widespread adoption of agentic browsers hinges on trust and transparency,” she explained. “Current litigation could delay mainstream acceptance.”
What Happens Next in the Agentic AI Showdown
This lawsuit is more than just a squabble between two companies. As detailed by ChatGPT Is Eating The World, it could determine the rules of the road for AI agents for years to come. Luna Base AI concluded in an analyst note, “Amazon’s pursuit of control through legal means could reshape not just its own ecosystem, but the expectations and limits for all AI-powered automation agents online.”
As this case moves forward, the tech world will be watching. The outcome will likely influence how agentic AI develops, how platforms protect their turf, and how much autonomy we’re willing to give our digital assistants. For now, the legal battles have just begun.
Recommended Tech
The future of AI is unfolding quickly, and the hardware is evolving to keep up. As agentic AI becomes more common, powerful and efficient devices will be essential. The TechBull recommends checking out new AI-focused PCs like the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3X AI Laptop. It’s part of the Copilot+ PC generation, built specifically to handle the demands of next-gen AI tasks right on your device.
