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PlatinumPearl · 08-06-2020, 07:43 AM

The European Union's probe will examine if the Fitbit acquisition would increase Google's dominance in online advertising.

TOPLINE
The European Union has launched a full-scale antitrust investigation into Google’s $2.1 billion deal to acquire wearables maker Fitbit, expressing concerns that it would further consolidate Google’s dominance in the online advertising space by giving the search engine giant access to personal data collected from Fitbit’s health tracking devices.

KEY FACTS
* The European Commission said in a press release that it will investigate how data collected from Fitbit’s fitness trackers will increase Google’s “data advantage” in the personalization of online ads in a manner that would disadvantage its rivals.

* The regulator will also investigate the deal’s effect on the digital healthcare sector in the region, specifically examining if Google could make it harder for other wearables makers to integrate their products with Android-based mobile phones.

* The officials have set an initial December 9 deadline to approve or veto the deal.Responding to news of the probe Google said in a blog post that the “deal is about devices, not data,” adding that there is “vibrant competition” in the smartwatches and fitness tracker space.

* The U.S. tech giant has said that it won’t use health data from Fitbit devices for Google ads and will allow Fitbit users the choice to review, move or delete their personal data.

* Regulators around the world, including the FTC, have increasingly begun scrutinizing acquisitions of smaller competitors by big tech companies.

CRUCIAL QUOTE
“The use of wearable devices by European consumers is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. This will go hand in hand with an exponential growth of data generated through these devices. This data provides key insights about the life and the health situation of the users of these devices,” Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust commissioner said in the press release. “Our investigation aims to ensure that control by Google over data collected through wearable devices as a result of the transaction does not distort competition.”

KEY BACKGROUND
Since the announcement of Google’s plan to acquire Fitbit in November 2019, following which the deal has been facing scrutiny from various government agencies including the U.S. Justice Department and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). In June, the Australian regulator had raised concerns that the deal would allow Google to further cement its position and raising barriers to entry for potential rivals. Apart from probing the acquisition, the U.S. Justice Department is also investigating charges that Google is engaging in anti-competitive behavior.

FURTHER READING
Google’s $2.1 Billion Fitbit Deal Faces Troubles in Europe, Australia (Wall Street Journal)

Justice Department Will Reportedly Review Google’s $2.1 Billion Fitbit Acquisition (Forbes)

Source: forbes.com
Website: https://bit.ly/2Dk8Vu2
Date: Aug 4, 2020

PlatinumPearl · 08-06-2020, 07:59 AM

Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy.

$29 billion biotech company Moderna just signed a big cloud deal with Amazon Web Services, even as the race for a COVID-19 vaccine accelerates

* Biotech company Moderna on Wednesday announced that it has chosen Amazon Web Services as its preferred cloud partner.

* The company is seen as a leader in COVID-19 vaccine research, entering its third phase of clinical trials late July.

$29 billion biotech company Moderna announced a new partnership with Amazon Web Services on Wednesday that will see the cloud giant become its "preferred" cloud provider. The deal will also see Moderna tap AWS as its standard platform for doing analytics and machine learning.

Moderna is one of the leading companies in the race for a COVID-19 vaccine, and last week dosed 30,000 people with the first vaccine candidate to reach phase 3 of testing in the United States.

The process of developing a new vaccine requires years of disease research and lab testing before it can be administered to humans. Moderna already uses AWS to run everyday accounting and inventory mangement as well as to power its production facility, robotics tools and engineering systems, "which enables the company to achieve greater efficiency and visibility across its operations," according to a press release.

"With AWS, our researchers have the ability to quickly design and execute research experiments and rapidly uncover new insights to get potentially life-saving treatments into production faster," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in that press release.

Biotech giants like Moderna are increasingly modernizing their IT infrastructures in the hunt for new drugs and treatments, including by use of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, the biotechnology sector in general has become a sought-after market for AWS and its leading rival Microsoft Azure both, with the latter recently inking a big cloud and AI deal with drugmaker Novartis.

Results from the vaccine test could be made public as early as October, according to biotech analyst Michael Yee.

Source: businessinsider.com
Website: https://bit.ly/3gBrkAJ
Date: Aug 5, 2020

08-06-2020, 07:43 AM	#1
PlatinumPearl Member How Do You Identify?: Femme, Human Preferred Pronoun?: She, Her Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Canada Posts: 1,150 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 966 Thanked 2,419 Times in 890 Posts Rep Power: 21474846	EU Launches Antitrust Probe Into Google’s Planned Acquisition Of Fitbit The European Union's probe will examine if the Fitbit acquisition would increase Google's dominance in online advertising. TOPLINE The European Union has launched a full-scale antitrust investigation into Google’s $2.1 billion deal to acquire wearables maker Fitbit, expressing concerns that it would further consolidate Google’s dominance in the online advertising space by giving the search engine giant access to personal data collected from Fitbit’s health tracking devices. KEY FACTS * The European Commission said in a press release that it will investigate how data collected from Fitbit’s fitness trackers will increase Google’s “data advantage” in the personalization of online ads in a manner that would disadvantage its rivals. * The regulator will also investigate the deal’s effect on the digital healthcare sector in the region, specifically examining if Google could make it harder for other wearables makers to integrate their products with Android-based mobile phones. * The officials have set an initial December 9 deadline to approve or veto the deal.Responding to news of the probe Google said in a blog post that the “deal is about devices, not data,” adding that there is “vibrant competition” in the smartwatches and fitness tracker space. * The U.S. tech giant has said that it won’t use health data from Fitbit devices for Google ads and will allow Fitbit users the choice to review, move or delete their personal data. * Regulators around the world, including the FTC, have increasingly begun scrutinizing acquisitions of smaller competitors by big tech companies. CRUCIAL QUOTE “The use of wearable devices by European consumers is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. This will go hand in hand with an exponential growth of data generated through these devices. This data provides key insights about the life and the health situation of the users of these devices,” Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust commissioner said in the press release. “Our investigation aims to ensure that control by Google over data collected through wearable devices as a result of the transaction does not distort competition.” KEY BACKGROUND Since the announcement of Google’s plan to acquire Fitbit in November 2019, following which the deal has been facing scrutiny from various government agencies including the U.S. Justice Department and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). In June, the Australian regulator had raised concerns that the deal would allow Google to further cement its position and raising barriers to entry for potential rivals. Apart from probing the acquisition, the U.S. Justice Department is also investigating charges that Google is engaging in anti-competitive behavior. FURTHER READING Google’s $2.1 Billion Fitbit Deal Faces Troubles in Europe, Australia (Wall Street Journal) Justice Department Will Reportedly Review Google’s $2.1 Billion Fitbit Acquisition (Forbes) Source: forbes.com Website: https://bit.ly/2Dk8Vu2 Date: Aug 4, 2020

08-06-2020, 07:59 AM	#2
PlatinumPearl Member How Do You Identify?: Femme, Human Preferred Pronoun?: She, Her Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Canada Posts: 1,150 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 966 Thanked 2,419 Times in 890 Posts Rep Power: 21474846	Moderna Just Signed a Big Cloud Deal with Amazon Web Services Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy. $29 billion biotech company Moderna just signed a big cloud deal with Amazon Web Services, even as the race for a COVID-19 vaccine accelerates * Biotech company Moderna on Wednesday announced that it has chosen Amazon Web Services as its preferred cloud partner. * The company is seen as a leader in COVID-19 vaccine research, entering its third phase of clinical trials late July. $29 billion biotech company Moderna announced a new partnership with Amazon Web Services on Wednesday that will see the cloud giant become its "preferred" cloud provider. The deal will also see Moderna tap AWS as its standard platform for doing analytics and machine learning. Moderna is one of the leading companies in the race for a COVID-19 vaccine, and last week dosed 30,000 people with the first vaccine candidate to reach phase 3 of testing in the United States. The process of developing a new vaccine requires years of disease research and lab testing before it can be administered to humans. Moderna already uses AWS to run everyday accounting and inventory mangement as well as to power its production facility, robotics tools and engineering systems, "which enables the company to achieve greater efficiency and visibility across its operations," according to a press release. "With AWS, our researchers have the ability to quickly design and execute research experiments and rapidly uncover new insights to get potentially life-saving treatments into production faster," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in that press release. Biotech giants like Moderna are increasingly modernizing their IT infrastructures in the hunt for new drugs and treatments, including by use of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, the biotechnology sector in general has become a sought-after market for AWS and its leading rival Microsoft Azure both, with the latter recently inking a big cloud and AI deal with drugmaker Novartis. Results from the vaccine test could be made public as early as October, according to biotech analyst Michael Yee. Source: businessinsider.com Website: https://bit.ly/3gBrkAJ Date: Aug 5, 2020