Amazon.com deal for iRobot blasted by pro-privacy, labor groups
Reuters
Published Sep 09, 2022 10:35AM ET
Updated Sep 09, 2022 11:17AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of some 20 pro-privacy and worker organizations, including Public Citizen and Fight for the Future, urged U.S. antitrust enforcers Friday to stop Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) from buying iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT) Corp, maker of the robotic vacuum cleaner Roomba.
In their letter, the groups argued that the deal would strengthen Amazon.com's already powerful position in the smart home devices. "By selling the Roomba brand at or near a loss via the Prime subscription, the company can access more personal consumer data to buttress its anti-competitive advantages online," the groups said in the letter.
This would hurt people concerned about privacy, as well as competitors who do not have access to the information, they argued.
The $1.7 billion deal, which was announced in August, was the latest push by Amazon, which already owns Alexa and Ring, into the smart home devices. It is being reviewed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which has a separate antitrust probe underway of Amazon.
Amazon.com did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The groups said that non-whites could be hurt particularly hard by any loss of privacy related to the deal.
"Civil rights groups have been sounding the alarm on the dangers that Amazon’s network of smart home surveillance devices pose to Black and brown communities, specifically those stemming from the mass of data collected by these devices," they wrote.
Other signatories included International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Main Street Alliance, Demand Progress Education Fund,
Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Open Markets Institute.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.