Amazon quietly shutters product ads that drove traffic to outside sites

By Mari Saito SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc quietly shuttered a pay-per-click advertising programme that allowed businesses to divert traffic from the retailer's platform to their own websites on Tuesday, saying it would permanently discontinue the programme in October. The programme allowed many businesses that are not necessarily sellers on Amazon's online marketplace to buy ad space on its website

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Two charged with conspiracy, fraud for Photobucket.com breach

Federal prosecutors charged two men on Friday with conspiracy and fraud after they allegedly breached the computer systems of Denver-based Photobucket and sold passwords and access to private information on the giant photo-sharing website. Brandon Bourret, 39, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Athanasios Andrianakis, 26, of Sunnyvale, California, were arrested at their homes, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

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Amazon in talks to buy online luxury retailer Net-a-Porter: Forbes

(Reuters) – Amazon.com is in talks to buy online luxury retailer Net-a-porter in what could be the biggest acquisition yet for the e-commerce giant, but the negotiations are in early stages and could fall apart, Forbes reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The potential deal, first reported by Women's Wear Daily, could value Net-a-Porter lower than the valuation of 2 billion euros ($2.16 billion) reported by the fashion industry trade journal, Forbes reported on Thursday, citing the person. Seattle-based Amazon has long eyed the high-end fashion retail sector and any deal for Net-a-Porter would mean a new commitment in an area where the company lacks a strong presence, Forbes said.

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