The EU is set to launch an antitrust case against Amazon over its proposed $1.7bn acquisition of Roomba-maker iRobot, in the latest signal that big tech groups will receive greater scrutiny over dealmaking.
Regulators in Brussels have sent the $1tn tech giant a series of detailed questions over the proposed transaction, according to two people with direct knowledge of the decision, in a move that indicates that they are gearing up for a formal probe.
While the US Federal Trade Commission is scrutinising the deal over concerns it would increase Amazon’s market power in the home electronics sector, investigators at the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, have privacy concerns.