At midday on 10 November, Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s high-profile enforcer of competition law, unveiled the preliminary findings of a landmark investigation into Amazon. The online retailer, the investigation claims, has been using data on products sold through its platform to launch rival offerings and guide its strategy around them.
The US tech giant, which has managed to avoid Vestager’s interrogation for longer than many of its Silicon Valley competitors, now also faces a second probe. In Brussels on Tuesday, Vestager announced she is investigating claims the company is using its “Buy Box” – the button users click to add an item to their digital basket, which selects offerings from a number of online sellers – to favour sellers who depend on its services, or to promote products Amazon sells itself. Amazon has said it disagrees with the commission’s preliminary findings.
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