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Amazon bars Meta's Muse from its store and warns shoppers

Amazon says Meta's agent hides what it is and seems to keep customers' logins, and anyone who tries to use it there is now shown a warning.

Amazon has blocked Muse from shopping on its website, GeekWire and Business Insider reported on 21 September. The move came after Meta would not remove Amazon from Muse's shopping features. Customers who now try to send the agent to Amazon are shown a warning that unauthorised agents breach the store's conditions of use.

Amazon has set out two objections. It says Muse browses without disclosing that it is software acting for someone, and that it appears to retain the credentials customers use for their Amazon accounts. According to the reports, Meta never sought Amazon's permission. Amazon has taken similar steps before against Perplexity's Comet and against agents made by OpenAI and Google.

This standoff forms part of a wider struggle over who governs purchases made by agents. Retailers are pressing for agents that put a signature on every request and complete purchases through official checkout protocols. Muse, for its part, has partnerships with Shopify and PayPal, and stores covered by those tend to offer it a smoother checkout than a retailer that shuts it out.

What it means for you

Do not push an agent into a store that blocks it, since your own account could be flagged. Shops that support agent checkout are the safer choice.