Following reports of a 26-billion US dollar acquisition in June, the EU has finally approved the deal between Microsoft and LinkedIn. The European Commission said that it would have to check concerns over data privacy and make sure that Microsoft agreed to relevant safeguards. However, the EU has now announced that the deal is free to go ahead. Antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said that the decision “ensures that Europeans will continue to enjoy a freedom of choice between professional social networks”. This is the last regional barrier that the deal had to clear before the deal could be completely cleared after getting approval from the US, South Africa and Brazil.
