The UK’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into music streaming. The Competition and Markets Authority( CMA) will be asking if the market is “ working well for music lovers ”, as part of a study launched on Thursday, the regulator said. According to figures released by trade association the British Phonographic Industry( BPI) in January, the UK’s music consumption rose for a seventh successive year in 2021, with streaming accounting for 83% of the total. Ministers referred the c

The competition watchdog has accepted proposed changes made by Google to the way it uses customer data. The Competition and Markets Authority( CMA) said the search engine has now signed up to legally binding rules to avoid growing its market dominance even further in online advertising. Regulators will have an oversight position to ensure Google’s Privacy Sandbox plan avoids squeezing competition when removing third-party cookies on its Chrome browser. The commitments, which run for six years, i

LONDON--Regulators are stepping up scrutiny of the United Kingdom's music streaming market to see whether there is enough competition after lawmakers outlined concerns that major online platforms like Spotify may be too dominant. The U.K.'s competition watchdog said Tuesday that it will carry out a “ market study ” to assess whether fresh measures are needed to improve streaming competition. The Competition and Markets Authority is taking action after an inquiry by lawmakers, who said in a repor

LONDON--U.K. regulators said on Friday that they're investigating Google and Amazon over concerns the online giants aren't doing enough to stop fake reviews of products and services on their platforms. The Competition and Markets Authority said it opened a formal investigation into whether the two companies broke U.K. consumer law by failing to protect shoppers.... If it does, the watchdog could require that they change how they deal with fake reviews or be taken court. Google and Amazon said t

A travel test firm has been ordered to pay refunds to holidaymakers after failing to provide them with swab results or kits. The Competition and Markets Authority( CMA), the competition watchdog, has revealed that it has secured an agreement from Dante Labs that it will pay any outstanding refunds within 21 days. The watchdog also disclosed the company had already paid out to thousands of customers who were let down by delayed or lost results or kits. The company has also been lambasted for misl

Welcomed the measures but said they should be implemented as soon as possible. Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy, said: “ The pandemic has highlighted weaknesses in UK consumer protections that have allowed unscrupulous businesses to exploit customers, while our competition regime has been in need of an update to deal with the challenges of digital markets.“ The government must now ensure that these proposals are swiftly implemented.” Among other measures included in the proposals ar

Tech giants with deep-rooted market power will have to abide by new “ fair-play ” rules to drive up competition, under plans confirmed by the Government. The UK’s new technology regulator will also be granted fresh powers to issue fines of up to 10% of turnover for non-compliance, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport( DCMS) said. However it is unclear when exactly the changes will come into force, as the Government has only said the necessary legislation will be introduced “ in d

COMPANIES that overcharge holidaymakers for their PCR tests will face fines of up to ￡10, 000, the health secretary has said.... Sajid Javid vowed to clampdown on" cowboy" firms after the Competition and Markets Authority( CMA) warned there is a" race for the bottom" in the PCR testing market which could see travellers lose out.... 2 Currently Brits have to have at least two tests when returning to the UK even if vaxxed Credit: Getty UK Covid deaths rise 21% in a WEEK as Boris Johnson preps ‘t