European Commission Opens Amazon Antitrust Probe

Amazon's use of sensitive data from independent sellers may breach EU antitrust rules, the European Commission said Wednesday, opening a formal competition inquiry. In its role as a marketplace for independent sellers to sell directly to consumers, Amazon collects data about activity on its platform. The EC will investigate the standard contracts between the company and marketplace sellers that allow Amazon's retail business to analyze and use third-party seller data, it said. The probe also includes the role played by data in the selection of winners of the buy box, which lets customers add items from a specific retailer into their shopping carts: "Winning the 'Buy Box' seems key for marketplace sellers as a vast majority of transactions are done through it." The launch of the investigation doesn't prejudge its outcome, and there's no specific deadline for the inquiry to end, the EC said. The e-tailer said it will "fully cooperate with the European Commission and continue working hard to support businesses of all sizes and help them grow."