Online services have brought great benefits, but have also come with risks of harm and illegality. As regulators around the world are working to establish a safer online environment, we compare how these efforts stack up and the challenges being faced
The Metaverse: Preparing for the future digital reality
While the initial hype surrounding the Metaverse may have given way to AI, development of its technological foundations continues. In light of the potential implications for policymakers, we've identified six areas where their attention should be focused
Competition in digital markets: Comparing regulatory regimes
Antitrust has done little to deter anti-competitive behaviour by big tech, and so a preference for ex-ante rules has emerged. From market definition through to the appeals process, we assess how these regimes intended to curb the power of big tech compare
Regulating AI: How does the UK’s approach stack up?
The UK has proposed light-touch regulation for AI, designed to build trust and drive adoption. As other countries take a harder line, will its flexible approach strike the right balance between promoting innovation and protecting against risk of harm?
The UK’s framework for digital markets risks being too broad
The UK Government's new competition regime for digital markets is unique around the world. While its key provisions are mostly tightly focused, some risk causing uncertainty and undermining the proportionality of the regime
More action needed to tackle scams
There has been a significant increase in scams, with losses for some consumers having risen by almost 45%. Regulators are mostly tackling it with information campaigns and working with telecom operators, but legislation has not been forthcoming
From ex-post to ex-ante: the shift in oversight of Big Tech
Fines levied against Big Tech from ex-post competition investigations have totalled more than £14bn since 2017. But competition authorities are now gaining powers to prevent anti-competitive conduct ex-ante, rather than wait to intervene once it’s happened
App stores could face ex-ante regulation
App stores and operating systems are under increasing scrutiny from regulators due to increasingly common competition concerns. As Australia and France take the lead, the EC is likely to adopt an ex-ante regulatory framework due to the recent rise in competition cases that have emerged
The European data strategy explained
A big part of the EC’s mandate will be defined by shaping Europe’s digital future – an objective that it will pursue by various means such as policies for AI, the reshaping of competition rules, and a data strategy. These are in turn linked to the Green Deal and the Industrial Strategy. The success of this vision will determine whether Europe can become less dependent on foreign big tech, and ensure its own businesses finally compete on a global scale.
The increasing importance of data in antitrust reform
Ongoing initiatives of antitrust reform have three things in common. Firstly, data is increasingly seen as an asset that can determine whether a market is competitive or not, and could represent a barrier to entry; secondly, authorities demand stronger powers to monitor big tech and act against them, sometimes even ex-ante; and thirdly, markets are increasingly seen as global rather than national in scope. But it remains unclear whether all governments will follow through with legislation.
