Consumer Advocates Urge FTC, DOJ Scrutiny of Walmart’s Vizio Deal

Walmart’s purchase of Vizio could “exacerbate concentration, data hoarding and privacy concerns,” so the FTC and DOJ should heavily scrutinize the $2.3 billion deal, Demand Progress and consumer advocates said Monday in a letter to the two agencies. The American Economic Liberties Project, the Center for Digital Democracy, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Open Markets Institute and Public Citizen signed the letter. Walmart’s proposal for acquiring Vizio’s advertising network will further allow Walmart to exploit consumer data for financial gain, they said. Vizio’s track record of violating user privacy by excessive tracking increases the privacy risks, they said. The deal will also allow Walmart to self-preference its new TV products, they said.