Amazon and Meta settle UK investigations by promising not to engage in unfair practices in the future

The watchdog announced on Friday that Amazon and Meta had reached a settlement to end practices that give them an unfair advantage over merchants and customers using their platforms, ending separate antitrust investigations in the United Kingdom.

The US tech companies' commitments to conclude their inquiries into their online marketplaces have been accepted, according to the Competition and Markets Authority.

The watchdog had been looking into whether Amazon's preference for merchants who pay for extras like storage, packaging, and delivery was hurting consumers and the competition.

It also examined the selection of suppliers by Amazon for the so-called "buy box," which provides one-click "buy now" and "add to basket" options for customers, as well as the gathering and application of data.

The primary focus of the U.K. watchdog's Meta investigation was whether the social media giant had an advantage over rivals offering online dating services and classified data due to its acquisition and utilization of data.

Authorities were investigating whether Facebook Marketplace's integration with the social network gave it an edge over rival websites in terms of customer reach and exclusion.

Meta declared that it was pleased with the case's closure. In a related pending lawsuit, the EU has charged Meta with violating antitrust laws.