Australian regulator to probe Amazon, eBay and other online markets
The Australian antitrust regulator on Thursday kicked off an inquiry into the local units of Amazon.com , eBay and other online markets to ensure fairness in a sector where sales have soared through the coronavirus pandemic.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which previously slapped the world's toughest content licensing rules on internet giants Facebook and Alphabet's Google , called for industry submissions.

"Online marketplaces are an important and growing segment of the economy so it is important that we understand how online marketplaces operate and whether they are working effectively for consumers and businesses," ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a statement. "We want to be sure that the rules that apply to traditional retail are also complied with in the online context."

The ACCC inquiry will take submissions until mid-August with a final report due in March 2022. Local representatives of Amazon and eBay were not immediately available for comment.