Amazon says customer names and emails were exposed in a “technical error”

By Melissa Locker

Some Amazon customers woke up to an email from “Earth’s Most Customer-centric Company” noting that their names and email addresses had been briefly disclosed due to a “technical error.” This being the internet, the affected customers quickly shared the emails on Twitter, and while people have a lot of questions, so far Amazon has provided very few answers.

In the email sent to customers, Amazon wrote that: “The issue,” whatever it was, “has been fixed.” It also noted that this was not the customer’s fault, and claims “there is no need for you to change your password or take any other action.” (Maybe change your password anyway?)

We reached out to Amazon for further comment. While there is plenty of speculation about what caused the glitch–or who was behind it–one thing is certain: The security lapse comes days ahead of Black Friday and the start of the busiest retail season of the year. A lack of transparency from Amazon could scare users away from the site. Or, you know, not.

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