The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld a decision keeping the competition commissioner from getting access to Amazon data it hoped would help prove the company permits fake reviews to remain on its website.
A new decision issued by the court dismisses an appeal the competition watchdog argued last year in hopes of advancing an investigation into Amazon’s marketing practices.
The data the commissioner has wanted since June 2024 was transaction information for health, personal care, home and electronic items sold on Amazon’s platforms.
The company has fought the request, claiming the data the commissioner wants is too broad, excessive and burdensome for it to handover because there are billions of products offered across all those categories.
While a federal court found Amazon was likely to have the information the commissioner wants, it said the watchdog had inadequately justified the scope of its request.
Thus, the court ruled in the company’s favour, prompting the commissioner’s appeal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2026.
