Poll question: Crime and eCommerce

In a Dec. 9 letter to congressional leaders, the Retail Industry Leaders Association – including Home Depot CEO Craig Menear – described a growing concern for rising crime and the ability of criminals to steal from stores and resell stolen products online.

The 21 signatories promoted resale transparency in the form of the INFORM Consumers Act.

Here’s how they described the act: “A simple, bipartisan measure that will increase transparency online for all marketplaces, making it easier for consumers to identify exactly who they are buying from, and make it harder for criminal elements to hide behind fake screen names and false business information to fence illicit products while evading law enforcement.”

In an opposing view, Amazon Vice President of Public Policy Brian Huseman earlier this yearr wrote “this legislation favors large brick-and-mortar retailers, at the expense of small businesses that sell online, while doing nothing to prevent fraud and abuse or hold bad actors accountable.” 

The stage is set for this week's poll question: