Amazon said it will review its website after a British news report found that the company’s algorithms have been recommending combinations of items that can be used to make bombs.
An investigation by the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 News found that the website listed components of fire bombs as being “frequently bought together” with other bomb-making ingredients, including ball bearings, which can be used as shrapnel in improvised explosives.
“All products sold on Amazon must adhere to our selling guidelines and we only sell products that comply with UK laws,” an Amazon spokesman said on Wednesday.
{mosads}“In light of recent events, we are reviewing our website to ensure that all these products are presented in an appropriate manner. We also continue to work closely with police and law enforcement agencies when circumstances arise where we can assist their investigations.”
The report comes as internet giants are being increasingly scrutinized over the effects of their algorithms. Last week, ProPublica found that Facebook was allowing advertisers to target racist and anti-Semitic groups on the platform.
And Amazon’s statement comes just hours before U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May will address the United Nations about the role that internet companies play in enabling terrorists.
Last week, 30 people were injured in a bomb attack on a London Underground train, in what authorities are calling a terrorist attack.