Competition and Markets Authority
The UK’s antitrust watchdog has narrowed its probe of Microsoft’s $68.7 billion bid for video game giant, Activision Blizzard, the regulator said today.
UK competition authority is concerned about the $61B Broadcom-VMware deal
The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expressed concern today that the $61 billion Broadcom-VMware deal announced last year could result in more expensive servers for U.K. businesses. “We are…
Game on for UK’s deeper antitrust probe of Microsoft-Activision
The U.K.’s competition watchdog has confirmed it will move to an in-depth investigation of the Microsoft-Activision $68.7 billion gaming mega-deal, a couple of weeks after it signalled concerns about the…
UK dials up scrutiny of Microsoft’s $68.7BN Activision deal over antitrust concerns
Microsoft’s $68.7 billion all-cash deal to bag gaming giant Activision Blizzard faces closer antitrust scrutiny in the U.K. where the country’s market watchdog has just announced it will move to…
Amazon faces more antitrust scrutiny in UK and Germany
More antitrust scrutiny for Amazon in Europe: The U.K.’s antitrust watchdog has opened an investigation into Amazon’s marketplace on the same day Germany’s regulator has confirmed it can apply special…
UK launches antitrust investigation into Microsoft’s $69B proposed Activision acquisition
One more hurdle up ahead for Activision Blizzard, the games giant behind Call of Duty that Microsoft is looking to acquire for $68.7 billion. The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority…
Germany’s antitrust watchdog latest to probe Apple’s app privacy framework
A major privacy feature Apple launched last year, called App Tracking Transparency (ATT) — which requires third-party apps to request permission from iOS users to track their digital activity for…
UK’s antitrust watchdog finally eyes action on Apple, Google mobile duopoly
The U.K.’s competition watchdog has published its final report on a comprehensive, year-long mobile ecosystem market study — cementing its view that there are substantial concerns about the market power…
UK finally opens antitrust probe of Google’s role in the adtech stack
The U.K.’s competition watchdog has just announced another investigation into Google over potential antitrust abuses around adtech. This is the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) second probe of Google’s adtech…
UK opts for slow reboot of Big Tech rules, pushes ahead on privacy ‘reforms’
The U.K. government has confirmed it will move forward on a major ex ante competition reform aimed at Big Tech, as it set out its priorities for the new parliamentary…
UK’s Big Tech regulator ‘to boost switching, cut killer acquisitions’
Just over a year after launching a dedicated unit focused on digital markets inside the national competition watchdog, the UK government has put some meat on the bones of what…
UK targets fake reviews and killer acquisitions in reform package
The UK has announced a bundle of consumer protection and competition reforms which could see platforms that fail to tackle fake reviews fined up to 10% of their global annual…
Google’s adtech targeted by publisher antitrust complaint in EU
Google’s dominance of the online ad market has been targeted by another antitrust complaint filed in the European Union by a coalition of publishers. This time it’s the European Publishers…
UK’s CMA accepts Google’s post-cookie pledges, will ‘closely monitor’ Privacy Sandbox plan
The U.K.’s competition authority has accepted commitments from Google over how it develops the post-cookie future of interest-based ad targeting online under its self-styled “Privacy Sandbox” proposal. In an announcement…
Featured Article
Eight years into his tenure, Satya Nadella looks to diversify
It’s easy to forget that Microsoft used to stumble often, especially when you look at its gaudy $2 trillion market cap today.
Google’s Privacy Sandbox targeted by fresh EU antitrust complaint
German publishers are the latest to band together to try to derail or at least delay Google’s “Privacy Sandbox” plan to end support for tracking cookies in Chrome via a…
After Dutch antitrust order, Apple starts letting local dating apps use alternative payment options
Another regulatory brick in the wall for Apple: The iPhone maker agreed this weekend to changes to its App Store in the Netherlands focused on dating apps, agreeing to allow…
Germany’s antitrust probe of Google products steps up a gear
In a decision as significant as it is unsurprising, Germany’s antitrust regulator has concluded that Google’s business meets the threshold for special abuse control which was established under an update…
Google offers behavioral pledges on news payments in France to try to end costly antitrust litigation
In its latest move to placate European competition regulators, Google has offered a set of commitments to France’s antitrust watchdog — in the hopes of settling a costly (for it)…
Apple and Google’s mobile duopoly likely to face UK antitrust action
The U.K.’s antitrust watchdog has given the clearest signal yet that interventions under an upcoming reform of the country’s competition rules will target tech giants Apple and Google — including…
The $19.7 billion acquisition of speech-to-text specialist Nuance by Microsoft, announced earlier this year, has attracted the attention of the U.K.’s active antitrust watchdog — which said today it’s taking…
In a significant push against Big Tech’s ability to maintain market dominance through sheer buying power, the U.K.’s competition watchdog has ordered Facebook (now Meta) to reverse its acquisition of…
Google agrees with UK’s CMA to deeper oversight of Privacy Sandbox
As part of an ongoing antitrust investigation into Google’s Privacy Sandbox by the UK’s competition regulator, the adtech giant has agreed to an expanded set of commitments related to oversight…
UK privacy watchdog warns adtech the end of tracking is nigh
It’s been well over two years since the UK’s data protection watchdog warned the behavioural advertising industry it’s wildly out of control. The ICO hasn’t done anything to stop the…
UK opens in-depth probe of Nvidia-ARM deal, citing national security and competition concerns
Chipmaker Nvidia’s planned $40 billion purchase of U.K.-based chip designer ARM will face an in-depth probe by the U.K.’s competition regulator after the government ordered the Competition and Markets Authority…
Facebook fined $70M for flouting Giphy order made by UK watchdog
Facebook — or whatever name the tech giant picks for a reportedly looming rebrand of its data-mining empire as it seeks to teleport its business into the metaverse to escape…
UK marketing-led group takes antitrust complaint against Google’s Privacy Sandbox to the EU
A coalition of digital marketing firms and others has taken its lobbying against Google’s plan to phase out tracking cookies — by replacing them with alternative technologies which the tech…
The U.K.’s competition watchdog has cleared Facebook’s acquisition of Kustomer, a maker of CRM tools. The purchase was announced last November — with a price tag we reported as $1…
As UK Gov reaches out to tech, investors threaten to ‘pull capital’ over M&A regulator over-reach
U.K. competition regulators are spooking tech investors in the country with an implied threat to clamp down on startup M&A, according to a new survey of the industry. As the…
Nvidia-ARM takeover raises serious antitrust concerns, finds UK’s CMA
The U.K.’s competition watchdog has raised serious concerns about Nvidia’s proposed takeover of chip designer, ARM. Its assessment was published today by the government, which will now need to decide…
