ABA Urges DOJ to Block Amazon’s Acquisition of TikTok

In response to news reports that Amazon is planning to acquire TikTok, American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill sent a letter on April 3 to Abigail Slater, the assistant attorney general for the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice. opposing Amazon’s move.

Hill stated in the letter that Amazon’s dominance in the bookselling industry already makes it a monopoly, and that Amazon’s acquisition of TikTok would “further entrench Amazon’s monopoly power to the detriment of consumers, competition, and innovation.”

The ABA's letter also noted that, not only would this move lead to Amazon’s further domination of e-commerce, but that the e-retail giant would also gain access to TikTok’s “vast user data and algorithms, integrating it all into Amazon’s existing operations. This would amplify Amazon’s ability to manipulate markets, lock in customers, and squeeze out competitors”—including indie booksellers, who have come to rely on TikTok to connect with readers and promote books.

“An Amazon takeover of TikTok would force independent bookstores to allow their main competitor access to their analytics or to abandon an important and growing market channel,” the letter stated. The ABA urged the Department of Justice to investigate the planned acquisition, “and to take decisive action to block it.”