Amazon.com Services LLC v. Perplexity AI, Inc.

On 11 November 2025, Amazon.com Services LLC commenced proceedings against Perplexity AI, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging violations of federal and California computer fraud statutes. The complaint asserts that Perplexity operates an AI application called Comet with "agentic AI" functionality that can independently perform multi-step tasks and interact with third-party websites on users' behalf, contending that this technology presents significant security risks to Amazon's protected systems. According to the pleadings, Perplexity deliberately configured its Comet AI agent to falsely identify itself as Google Chrome browser activity rather than transparently disclosing its automated nature, thereby enabling covert access to private Amazon customer accounts. The claim further alleges that despite repeated communications from Amazon since November 2024 requiring transparent identification of AI agents, Perplexity initially agreed but subsequently reneged on its commitments and released software updates specifically designed to evade Amazon's technological barriers. Claims advanced include violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act. Amazon seeks injunctive relief to compel transparency and prevent unauthorised access, asserting causes of action in federal and state computer fraud statutes.

This summary is provided for educational and research purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Allegations described are those made in the filings. Please consult the underlying source documents.