IGF 2021 WS #112
Anti-monopoly sharing: China-EU-the US on internet platform

Organizer 1: Xingdong FANG, College of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University
Organizer 2: Bu Zhong, Pennsylvania State University
Organizer 3: Yuanyuan Fan , College of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University

Speaker 1: Yu Hong, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Jovan Kurbalija, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Karmen Turk, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Moderator

Bu Zhong, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Online Moderator

Yuanyuan Fan , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Rapporteur

Bu Zhong, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Format

Break-out Group Discussions - Flexible Seating - 60 Min

Policy Question(s)

Regulation, competition and innovation: How could regulatory and self-regulatory frameworks help foster more competitive Internet-related markets, a larger diversity of business models, and more innovation? How to enable equitable access to data, marketplaces or infrastructures for fostering competition and innovation on the Internet?
Data governance and trust, globally and locally: What is needed to ensure that existing and future national and international data governance frameworks are effective in mandating the responsible and trustworthy use of data, with respect for privacy and other human rights?

nowadays, internet platforms have developed into a new and huge economic style that covers almost every aspect of people`s daily life. It has developed without restrictions for many years that gradually become the dragon it wanted to kill. For its importance and influence, it is time to discuss what kind of regulation and system are needed to lead it for a better society while at the same time keep its innovation dynamic.

SDGs

8.3
9.1
16.7


Targets: Policies should not only restrict but also lead the development of newly emerged economic style for them to better serve the society and people. Internet platform as a new style has developed without restrictions for many years, it brought facilities to people`s life but also created many problems. The proposal is aimed to learn from different systems among different regions` multi-stakeholders and draw some valuable lessons for countries who have already facing the problems to know what should be improved, and for countries who have yet met the problems to know how to deal with them from the very beginning, what kind of policies should be made, what kind of infrastructure should be set.

Description:

In recent years, some big internet platform emerged and turn to be super powers. They provide platforms for the public to express their own opinions, create lots of jobs and new economic format, promote economy development and change people`s daily lives. While at the same time, these platforms also obtained monopoly positions and abused it. We need to know behaviors and harms brought by platforms because of their monopoly position, such as FAANG in the United States and BAT in China, and also responses taken by different regions. In 2020, China, the United States and Europe almost simultaneously set off the anti-monopoly tide on Internet platforms. Although the development routine, system and structure are all different, they all facing common challenges on the rise of super platforms. Therefore, it is necessary to sit down and learn from each other on their experiences: high-tech anti-monopoly experiences of the United States; GDPR, the Digital Market Act and other major institutional innovations of the Europe; as well as the efficient enforcement methods such as admonition system and administrative punishment of the Chinese government. Only based on previous knowledge, can we systematically analyze and compare the anti-monopoly objectives, measures and systems of the three parties and get to provide important inspiration and reference for the effective governance of the global Internet super platform, and explore the possibility of establishing a global governance mechanism and path in an open manner. Finally, we will be able to work together to let these super platforms better serve the society and people.
1. Introduction of the workshop (5 min)
2. Sharing from speakers of China, Europe and the U.S. (10 min/per)
3. Group Discussion (20 min/per)
Break to groups and start group discussions among speakers, participants both on line and on site to discuss advantages and disadvantages of each system and see if it is possible to generate a common rule for policy makers to use for reference.
4. Conclusion (5 min)

Expected Outcomes

Hopefully we could generate some common rules for policy makers to use for reference after collecting all opinions and advices.

This workshop provides the opportunities of both virtual and in-person participation. Some stakeholder groups will be invited to join the discussion by the rapporteurs in the coming months.

Online Participation



Usage of IGF Official Tool.