Amazon moves to end EU antitrust probe over rival data

Amazon has made commitments to answer charges by the EU's competition authority that the online giant used sensitive information of rivals to benefit its own retail business, the EU said Thursday.

The offer by Amazon is a huge step by the US-based behemoth that has faced years of accusations by rivals and regulators that it unfairly uses the troves of data parked on its platform to launch its own products and services.

The US tech giant "commits to refrain from using non-public data relating to, or derived from, the activities of independent sellers on its marketplace," an EU statement said.

Amazon also made an offer to end a second EU investigation on whether its hugely popular Prime service unfairly pushes buyers towards sellers using Amazon's logistics service.

This probe also looked into the Buy Box in which a user can swiftly make a purchase, skipping through the inconvenience of several screens and choices.

The EU said it was asking rivals for their views on Amazon's concessions by September 9 and would remain in place for five years with close monitoring by Brussels.

Many of these accusations towards Amazon are being answered separately in the EU's landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA), a major EU legislation set to come into force next year.

The DMA imposes a long list of do's and don'ts on the tech giants gatekeepers, including how they handle the sensitive data of competitors who use their platforms.

Amazon said while, "We... disagree with several conclusions the European Commission made, we have engaged constructively with the Commission to address their concerns."

This will "preserve our ability to serve European customers and the more than 185,000 European small and medium-sized businesses selling through our stores".

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