UK opens inquiry into Google’s takeover of data company

LONDON
(AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Tuesday it launched a formal
inquiry into Google’s takeover of cloud data analytics company Looker
Data Sciences, as it intensifies scrutiny of technology deals.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it had notified the two companies
on Monday that it was opening an initial inquiry and would decide on
Feb. 13 whether to escalate it to a more in-depth investigation.

The authority said this month it was looking into whether the $2.6 billion acquisition would result in less competition in the U.K. market.

Google said in a statement that “the acquisition of Looker has received regulatory approval in the U.S. and Austria and we continue to make progress with regulators in the U.K.”

The U.S. tech giant said in
June it was buying Looker, which helps customers visualize data, as it
seeks to compete with rivals including Amazon in the lucrative cloud
service business.

The inquiry comes a week after the authority
stepped up pressure on a separate tech deal, by threatening Amazon with
an in-depth investigation of its plan to buy a stake in food delivery
platform Deliveroo unless it came up with proposals to address
competition concerns.

Google has also come under regulatory
pressure on various fronts in the U.S., where authorities at both the
state and federal level have opened investigations into tech giants.