FTC Amps Up Scrutiny of Proposed Amazon-iRobot Deal
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reportedly made a second request to Amazon regarding the company’s plan to buy Roomba-maker, iRobot Corporation. The second request is a procedural step required for the agency to take further action to stop the deal. Matt Kent, competition policy advocate for Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“Reports today confirm that the FTC is walking the walk when it comes to halting Amazon’s plans to expand its market dominance at the cost of our privacy. By making a second request, the agency has signaled it shares concerns voiced by the advocacy community about the deal’s threat to fair markets and its potential to allow full scale corporate surveillance of our home. This is good news, and the FTC should use its authority to challenge the deal.”