Now, Google has reportedly offered to restrict the use of Fitbit data for Google ads and tighten the monitoring of that process, Reuters says. The company also formalized its commitment to supporting other wearable manufacturers on Android and allowing Fitbit users to choose third party services through APIs, Google said in a statement. Those third parties will have access to Fitbit users’ data, as long as those users consent.

Those are relatively minor concessions, but this isn’t quite a done deal. EU officials will now collect feedback from competitors and consumers before accepting Google’s concessions. There’s a chance that Google will have to meet additional demands. Either way, the Commission will decide on the deal by December 23rd.

Meanwhile, in the US, Google will have to appease both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ). The company is also facing a broader review of competition. The DOJ is preparing an antitrust case against the company, and a dozen states are expected to join that DOJ lawsuit.

Italy’s competition watchdog is investing Apple, Google and Dropbox, TechCrunch reports. In a press release, the AGCM announced that it opened six investigations into the companies’ cloud storage services: Google Drive, iCloud and Dropbox.

The authority is concerned that the services fail to adequately explain how user data will be collected and used for commercial purposes. It’s also investigating unfair clauses in the services’ contracts, terms that exempt the services from some liability and the prevalence of English versions of contracts over Italian versions.

From June 2016 to December 2018, Google account holders were met with a pop-up that explained “optional features” to accounts regarding how the company collected their data. Consumers could click “I agree,” and Google would begin collecting a “wide range of personally identifiable information” from them, according to the ACCC. The lawsuit contends that the pop-up didn’t adequately explain what consumers were agreeing to.

“The ACCC considers that consumers effectively pay for Google’s services with their data, so this change introduced by Google increased the ‘price’ of Google’s services, without consumers’ knowledge,” said ACCC Chair Rod Sims. Had more consumers sufficiently understood Google’s change in policy, many may not have consented to it, according to the ACCC.

Google told the Associated Press it disagrees with the ACCC’s allegations, and says Google account holders had been asked to “consent via prominent and easy-to-understand notifications.” It’s unclear what penalty the ACCC is seeking with the lawsuit.

Last October, the ACCC sued Google claiming the company misled Android users about the ability to opt out of location tracking on phones and tablets. That case is headed to mediation next week, according to a February Computer World article.

Amazon and Apple are facing more antitrust accusations. This time, Italy is investigating. Authorities want to know whether the two companies agreed to prevent retailers who are not part of Apple’s official program to sell Apple products and Beats headphones, Reuters reports.

Officials launched the investigation this week and searched the Italian offices of both Amazon and Apple on Tuesday. In a statement provided to Engadget, an Amazon spokesperson said the company is “fully collaborating with the Authority.”

A House investigation into tech competition may have testimony from some of the biggest names in the industry — if they agree, at least. Axios understands the Judiciary Committee has asked Apple, Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook to say if their CEOs will testify for the antitrust probe in July. The companies reportedly have until June 14th to answer. However, they might not have a choice regardless of their responses — the letters hint at possible subpoenas for testimony and relevant documents if the CEOs don’t volunteer.

In statement, committee chair David Cicilline said the documents (which include responses to other probes) were “essential” to the investigation and that requests like this were part of the “appropriate process” to obtain the files.

Amazon’s policies forbid it from using sellers’ data to undermine their own products, but the practical reality might be very different. Wall Street Journal sources say Amazon employees have been using proprietary seller data to help design and price in-house products, including decisions to enter certain categories. To develop a car trunk organizer, as an example, the internet retailer reportedly studied a third-party’s sales, marketing spending and Amazon’s share of sales.

This also includes executives, according to the sources. While Amazon officially has measures to prevent its product higher-ups from accessing individual sellers’ data, those rules apparently haven’t been consistently enforced. Execs would use workarounds, such as having analysts create reports or obtaining supposedly aggregated data that was really collected from one seller.

The Super Bowl is right around the corner, so here come all the brand collabs. To celebrate Sunday’s showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Xbox, EA Sports and Nike have joined forces to create a limited-edition custom Xbox One console. Inspired by the special edition Nike x Madden NFL 20 Air Max 90 sneakers unveiled yesterday, the all-white console features red and blue details representing the EA Sports logo and NFL Shield, as well as the iconic Nike swoosh.

A lawsuit had accused Uber of breaking the law by steering customers away from taxis and offering public transportation without a license.

This isn’t the first time Uber has been given the boot. A German court recently ruled against Uber, and Italy temporarily banned the company in 2017. However, it appears to be the first time Uber has been forced out of an entire country in the Americas. It also comes under questionable circumstances. Taxi driver unions had lobbied the Colombian government in a bid to thwart ridesharing apps in return for promising to stay out of anti-government protests.

Whatever the circumstances, Uber’s departure could have mixed consequences. While it’ll reassure taxi drivers worried they were being squeezed out (though they still have to compete with options like Didi), it could leave thousands of Uber drivers out of work. Unlike the US and some other countries, driving Uber full-time can pay relatively well — this could represent a significant blow for some workers.

Amazon has failed to address our initial concerns that their investment in Deliveroo could be bad for customers, restaurants and grocers.

The deal will now be referred for an in depth, Phase 2, investigation.

Find out more: https://t.co/tvRHjmfPFm pic.twitter.com/JqJQVahx00

— Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) December 27, 2019

After its own takeout and delivery service failed in the UK, Amazon decided to join its competition Deliveroo and take on the likes of Uber Eats and GrubHub. Amazon became the largest investor in a $575 million Deliveroo funding round, reportedly acquiring a 16 percent stake in the company.

CMA fears that Amazon and Deliveroo could “cease to be distinct” or merge in the future, which could, theoretically, lead to customers facing higher prices or lower-quality services. According to The Guardian, CMA has the authority to block the investment completely or demand specific remedies from the companies, though it seems Amazon has not complied with CMA’s initial demands.

In a statement provided to The Guardian, an Amazon spokesperson said:

“A homegrown UK business like Deliveroo should have broad access to investors and supporters. Amazon believes that this investment funding will lead to more pro-consumer innovation by helping Deliveroo continue to build its world-class service and remain competitive in the restaurant food delivery space by creating more highly skilled jobs, innovating in the restaurant food delivery sector, and developing new products for customers.”