Italy launching probe into Apple, Google, Dropbox over cloud storage

Italy’s top authority on monopolies and trade practices announced a slew of investigations into Apple, Dropbox, and Google over the companies’ cloud storage systems.

In a press release, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) said that the probes, six in total, were “relate[d] to alleged unfair commercial practices and the possible presence of unfair clauses in the contractual conditions.”

“In particular, the investigations for unfair practices against Google and Apple concern the failure or inadequate indication, when presenting the service, of the collection and use for commercial purposes of the data provided by the user and the possible undue influence in towards consumers, who, in order to use the cloud storage service, would not be in a position to give the operator their consent to the collection and use of information concerning them for commercial purposes,” read a translated press release from the AGCM.

The three companies did not immediately return requests for comment from The Hill.

Italian antitrust authorities have been actively pursuing cases against top tech companies in 2020, and as recently as late July raided the offices of Amazon and Apple over a separate antitrust investigation related to the sale of the popular Beats brand of headphones.

Amazon officials said at the time that they were cooperating with Italian authorities amid the investigation.