# EU to Scrutinize Amazon’s Acquisition of iRobot
Last year, Amazon swept up iRobot, the company best known for its robotic vacuum cleaners, Roomba, for a whopping $1.7 billion. However, this move seems to have raised red flags with competition authorities in both the US and EU. Now, the European Commission is initiating an investigation into the acquisition to determine if it could potentially stifle competition in the robotic vacuum cleaner market.
The European Commission is primarily concerned that Amazon might prioritize iRobot’s robotic vacuum cleaners on its e-commerce platform if the acquisition is approved. Moreover, there is apprehension that iRobot’s robotic vacuum cleaners could gain better access to Amazon’s smart assistant, Alexa. As Alexa is increasingly being used to control many so-called smart homes, this could potentially skew the market in Amazon’s favor.
Lastly, the commission is worried that Amazon could gain an advantage in mapping potential customers when it gains access to the data that iRobot has collected about its customers, which could be used for targeted advertising.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also launched an investigation into Amazon’s acquisition of iRobot last year.
In conclusion, it seems Amazon’s attempt to clean up in the robotic vacuum market has sucked it into a whirlwind of regulatory scrutiny. Who knew vacuuming could be so politically charged?
Source: [Feber.se](feber.se/samhalle/eu-ska-granska-amazons-kop-av-irobot/453404/)
Author: Wille Wilhelmsson
[#Robots](./tag/Robots/), [#EU](./tag/EU/), [#Amazon](./tag/Amazon/), [#iRobot](./tag/iRobot/), [#Roomba](./tag/Roomba/), [#Acquisition](./tag/Acquisition/), [#SmartHome](./tag/SmartHome/)
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