"Regulating Big Tech? Transnational Perspectives on Privacy, Antitrust and Consumer Protection"

14 October 2019

Stimmungsbild soziale Netzwerke: in der Mitte sieben wabenförmig angeordnete Sechsecke mit Logos verschiedener sozialer Plattformen auf einem Hintergrund, der sich aus vielen Fotos einzelner Menschen zusammensetzt

Photo: geralt from pixabay

Prof. Dr. Ingrid Schneider, the International Department of the UHH and the German Center for Research and Innovation are organizing a workshop and panel discussion in Chicago on October 14, 2019. The panel discussion will explore how antitrust, consumer welfare and data protection authorities may join forces to facilitate a ‘race to the top’ on privacy standards, proper functioning of the market, and public welfare.

The digital revolution harbors both, opportunities and challenges for innovation, democracy, and technology governance. The rise of digital platforms such as GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) has disrupted old business models, while simultaneously creating opportunities for new models and industry players.

The European Union has responded to these challenges by enacting regulations which aim at protecting fundamental rights, enabling a digital single market, and counteracting power asymmetries. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has gained worldwide attention. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) seems to point in the same direction. Does the US need a federal privacy law?

Competition and antitrust law is another area of regulatory intervention. The European Commission’s antitrust cases on Google and others have taken a strong stance against the market dominance abuses. The FTC is also pursuing several cases and has fined Facebook $5 billion for privacy violations. Novel legal approaches to include the value of data aggregation in competition law enforcement are being developed.

Programme

Invitation [pdf]

Image by geralt from Pixabay (Pixabay Licence)