Amazon is one of the largest employers in the world. When it comes to working conditions, however, the company is repeatedly criticized. A leaked document now reveals the existence of a secret Twitter army that defends the company against critics.
In the US, numerous Amazon employees are currently campaigning for the founding of a union. What is common practice in Europe would be tantamount to a revolution in the United States.
Although Amazon is the second-largest employer in the USA after Walmart, it does not yet have a trade union.
The online giant also regularly receives criticism in this country. Above all, the working conditions in the shipping centers are criticized.
With over 20,000 permanent employees, Germany is the most important foreign market for the US mail order company.
Amazon is against the formation of a trade union
But while Amazon employees in Germany and Europe are certainly represented in trade unions, Amazon’s management has repeatedly let it be known in the recent past that it does not think much of the establishment of a trade union in its home country.
The company wanted to prevent or postpone a recent vote until the very end.
Amazon is of the opinion that it already pays fair wages and has created appropriate working conditions. A union is therefore not necessary.
Code name “Veritas”: Amazon’s secret Twitter army
Many see it differently. On Twitter and in other social media, Amazon is sometimes sharply criticized in terms of working conditions. As a recently leaked document shows, the U.S. company launched a counteroffensive under the code name Veritas back in 2018.
Since then, a staff appointed and trained according to certain selection criteria has formed almost an entire Twitter army, which is supposed to defend the group around founder Jeff Bezos online.
As Business Insider reports, Amazon hired many employees primarily because of their “great sense of humor.” The document in question also includes examples of how the so-called Twitter army can respond to criticism.
Since numerous accounts under the code name Veritas are provided with the Amazon logo as well as the name suffix @AmazonFC, they were initially thought by many to be bots. However, this suspicion could not be substantiated.
Recently, however, a number of accounts have appeared defending Amazon on Twitter and have actually turned out to be bots. It is still unclear who is responsible for this.
Fake accounts defend Amazon on Twitter
In the fight against its critics, Amazon is now getting unexpected support from those very accounts. In the night from March 29 to 30, numerous Twitter accounts of presumed Amazon employees made sentiment against the founding of a union.
The problem: Unlike the Twitter army, which operates under the alias Veritas, these are undoubtedly fake accounts. Although the dubious accounts also contain the name extension @AmazonFC, the profile pictures are demonstrably stock photos and stolen identities.
According to an official Amazon spokesperson, the company has nothing to do with the profiles. Twitter has already been informed about the situation.
Although the short message service has already deleted or blocked several accounts, it is still unclear who is behind it.
Would Amazon, the second-largest employer in the U.S., actually resort to such a trivial trick to infiltrate its employees?
