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Sony and Nintendo stop billing unused game subscriptions in the UK
Sony and Nintendo will no longer bill unused gaming subscriptions in the UK, three months after Microsoft made similar changes.
UK regulator accepts Google's updated proposal on browser cookie tracking
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has accepted Google's latest plan to replace third-party cookies from the Chrome Browser.
Microsoft will stop billing dormant Game Pass members... in two years
Changes to inactive memberships will roll out in the UK first and worldwide soon.
UK competition regulator orders Meta to sell Giphy
UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ordered Meta (Facebook) to sell Giphy, saying the deal "could harm social media users and UK advertisers."
Facebook fined $69.6 million in the UK for breaking rules related to its Giphy takeover
The UK's competition authority has fined Facebook £50.5 million ($70 million) for breaching enforcement orders related its acquisition of Giphy.
Facebook may be forced to sell Giphy following UK regulator findings
Facebook's acquisition of GIF-sharing platform Giphy raises competition concerns within social media and advertising, the UK's competition regulator has found.
UK opens investigation into Amazon and Google over fake reviews
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation into AMazon and Google's handling of fake reviews.
The UK will probe Google's plan to eliminate third-party cookies in Chrome
UK’s competition regulator has announced that its investigating Google's Privacy Sandbox project, out of concern that advertising dollars could “become even more concentrated on Google’s ecosystem at the expense of its competitors.”
The UK is investigating NVIDIA's acquisition of ARM
The UK’s competition regulator has launched an investigation into NVIDIA’s $40 billion acquisition of ARM.
The UK is creating a new agency to regulate Big Tech
The UK plans to create a new agency called the Digital Markets Unit to regulate large tech companies such as Google and Facebook.
UK's competition regulator demands tougher action on Google and Facebook
These sorts of powers would affect Facebook and Google's businesses internationally.
UK's antitrust watchdog is investigating Facebook's purchase of Giphy
Facebook may have broken some antitrust laws when purchasing Giphy last month for a reported $400 million.
UK regulator opens probe into Amazon's Deliveroo stake
Amazon may be in hot water with the UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA). Earlier this year, the watchdog expressed concerns that Amazon's acquisition of a minority stake in Deliveroo, a UK food delivery company, could hurt competition. Now, CMA says Amazon has failed to address those initial concerns, and it has referred the deal for an in-depth investigation.
Open Banking is here to change how you manage your money
After completing a review of the retail banking sector back in the summer of 2016, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concluded that stagnation had set in. It found that hardly anyone switches banks each year, and the huge financial institutions don't put a lot of effort into retaining or competing for business. Among a number of reforms the CMA put into motion was "Open Banking," which requires all the big banks to make your financial data accessible in a standard format. The deadline to comply with the open banking initiative passed over the weekend, and several key names have missed the launch. It's now officially up and running, however, and it promises to completely change how you choose and use all kinds of financial services.
UK watchdog threatens ticket resale sites with court action
The UK's competition watchdog has fired another warning shot against secondary ticketing websites. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is partway through an investigation and says it has "widespread concerns" about the information sites are providing customers before they press purchase. All of them should provide details about their seats, the person they are buying the tickets from, and any restrictions that could deny them access to the event. Some websites are complying, however the regulator has also "gathered evidence which it considers reveal breaches of the law." It's now asking websites to clean up their act or face legal action.
Just Eat gets the approval it needs to acquire Hungryhouse
Five years ago, a merger between Just Eat and Hungryhouse would have been impossible in the UK. They were two of the largest online takeaway sites and would, therefore, have created a monopoly. Now, of course, the situation is a little different. With Deliveroo, UberEats and Amazon vying for orders, both companies are now mid-sized players in Britain. As a result, the Competition and Markets Authority has approved Just Eat's acquisition of Hungryhouse, which was originally announced last December. In short, the regulator believes competition will still be rife in the UK, and that Hungryhouse wasn't large enough to survive on its own.
StubHub and Viagogo raided in UK ticket touting probe
Scalpers aren't unique to the UK, but the government has made stamping out ticket touts one of its top priorities. Ministers have already set out legislation as part of the Digital Economy Act that will make the use of ticket-buying bots illegal, but regulators are also putting the squeeze on secondary ticket sellers. The Guardian reports that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raided the offices of secondary ticket marketplaces StubHub and Viagogo as part of a probe into "suspected breaches of consumer law."
Fox's takeover of Sky referred to the UK's competition regulator
It's now been a full year since 21st Century Fox first confirmed its interest in buying out Sky. In that time, the deal has been referred to and cleared by the European Commission, scrutinised by communications regulator Ofcom and discussed numerous times in parliament without a firm approval or denial. The decision has now been pushed back even further after Culture Secretary Karen Bradley announced today that the merger will be passed to the the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as part of a formal six-month review.
Airbnb helps you tell everyone why you left that dive early
Airbnb is changing its online reviews system so it's easier to leave feedback for a property you vacate before your stay is complete. Previously, the only way to do this was through Airbnb's customer service department, which is something most people probably can't be bothered to do. Now, if you leave the property early, you'll be able to leave a review as you normally would with a completed stay. This means you can give other Airbnb users a heads up if the property turns out to be a dump or the host is unnervingly creepy.
UK watchdog accidentally creates pager monopoly it was hoping to avoid
True story: Vodafone still runs a pager service, decades after the old-school equivalent of pop-up notifications fell out of fashion. And it's not even the only the company supporting this ancient tech, which is still used by a few businesses, doctors, emergency services and bird watchers, apparently. Capita also maintains a pager service and agreed to buy Vodafone's division and its roughly 1,000 customers in February. However, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced today that it has decided to investigate the merger, leading Vodafone to immediately abandon the sale and close down this part of its business altogether.
