IGF 2021 WS #77 Antitrust regulation of Internet platforms in global outlook

Information

Session

Area:

(EMERGING AND CROSS-CUTTING) Emerging regulation: market structure, content, data and consumer/users rights regulation

Organizer 1: Yik Chan Chin, Beijing Normal University
Organizer 2: Milton Mueller, Georgia Tech Internet Governance Project
Organizer 3: Alison Gillwald, Research ICT Africa/Univeristy of Cape Town
Organizer 4: Ioana Stupariu, Central European University

Speaker 1: Milton Mueller, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Qing He, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Zhisong Deng, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Albana Karapanco, Government, Eastern European Group

Moderator:

Yik Chan Chin, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Online Moderator:

Ioana Stupariu, Civil Society, Eastern European Group

Rapporteur:

Yik Chan Chin, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Format:

Round Table - U-shape - 90 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?
Additional Policy Questions Information: In additional to above selected question, we also want to add one more question:

What are the antitrust criteria in your country and how have they been applied to the major platforms?

Issues, Challenges and Opportunities addressed:

The workshop intends to address the following issues, challenges and opportunities related to regulation, competition and innovation:

There are differences in digital policy, approaches of antitrust regulations and self-regulatory models between countries. Given the interdependence of the digital economy, more importantly, because of the shifting definition of antitrust and governance models as the result of the unique particularities of online markets (two sided or multisided market ) that surrounded the platform economy, the understanding of how the antitrust regulation and self-regulatory framework are applied to internet platforms and markets domestically, how innovation and competitions are fostered locally, and what are the similarities and differences and what has created them are both essential and timely. This workshop will tackle those questions from a global perspective through its regional diverse speakers from the EU, USA, China, India and South Africa. The workshop will address below issues, challenges and opportunities:

● How are competition policy authorities in reacting to the growth of platforms? What methods are used by the regulators to measure market power or abuse of dominance?

● How have antitrust regulation applied to platform markets in your countries/regions? What roles have the platforms played in tackling anticompetitive practices ? How have they (state regulation and self-regulation) help foster more competitive Internet-related markets, a larger diversity of business models, and more innovation? What could be done to improve the current framework?

● What measures are used to enable equitable access to data, marketplaces or infrastructures for fostering competition and innovation in the Internet platform market? What could be done to improve the current measures?

SDGs:

1.a
1.b
2.c
4.6
4.7
4.a
5.b
9.1
9.5
9.a
9.b
9.c
10.2
10.5
12.8
12.a
13.3
16.10
16.7
17.16
17.18
17.6
17.7
17.8

Targets: The proposed session aims to develop a framework for collaborative response to the structural issues and challenges of antitrust regulations and self-governance in the Internet markets, and discuss how to ensure the equitable access to data, marketplaces or infrastructures for fostering competition and innovation. Ultimately, the protections of markets, infrastructures, competition and innovation is to serve the provisions of trusted, diverse and equally accessible flows of information, data, knowledges and digital platforms in both developed and developing countries. Such goals are closely linked to the SDG targets selected above such as to "ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources", "facilitate timely access to food market information", "enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women", "develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all" , "ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedom" and so on.

Description:

The workshop will explain how important the issue of competition policy is in platform regulation and explore the way competition policy authorities in EU, China, USA, India and South Africa are reacting to the growth of platforms. What methods are used by the regulators to measure market power or abuse of dominance? Has regulation fostered more competitive Internet-related markets, a larger diversity of business models, and more innovation? What could be done to improve the current framework? What measures are used to enable equitable access to data, marketplaces or infrastructures for fostering competition and innovation on the Internet platform market? What could be done to improve the current measures?

Combing both local experts with a global perspective on antitrust regulations and platform governance, this workshop aims to build an international platform for experts, scholars, policymakers, and legal practitioners from relevant fields to jointly discuss the above important and timely issues, challenges and opportunities on an interdisciplinary and multi-dimensional approaches. Speakers and moderators from The EU, USA, China, Europe, India and South Africa will discuss above questions from diverse geographic and stakeholder’s perspectives.

Speakers:

Dr. He Qing, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China
Professor Milton Mueller, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Mr. Jet DENG Zhisong, Dentons China, China
Ms. Albana Karapanco, Adviser to the Minister of Finance and Economy of Albania & Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Tirana, Albania
Mr. James Hodge, Chief Economist at the South African Competition Commission, South Africa
Professor Ajay Shah, Jindal Global University, India

Moderators: Dr. Yik Chan Chin, Beijing Normal University
Ms. Ioana Stupariu, Central European University
Dr. Alison Gillwald, Research ICT Africa

Intended Panel Agenda:
1) Setting the scene: moderator, Dr. Chin 3 minutes
2) Short introduction in regard to the antitrust situation in each regions, each speaks for 4 minutes with 3 minute of immediate audience response in the end
3) Policy question discussions amongst speakers 30 minutes moderated by Dr. Chin & Ms. Stupariu
4) Interactive question and answer session, 25 minutes moderated by Dr. Gillwald & Ms. Stupariu
5) Wrap-up, 5 minutes.

Expected Outcomes:

1) Develop a framework for collaborative response that includes multi-stakeholders such as academics, business, policymakers and other specialists to provide a meaningful platform that tackles the structural issues and challenges of antitrust regulations and self-governance in the global Internet markets.
2) Facilitate the debate as well as shaping the evolution of legal rules, norms, principles, best practices of antitrust regulations and models of platform's self-governance.
3) Identify differing and common viewpoints regarding measures used or ought to use to enable equitable access to data, marketplaces or infrastructures for fostering competition and innovation in the Internet platform markets.
4) Policy recommendations and key messages report to the IGF community and to the local and regional IGF, academic, NGO and policymaker communities.
5) Publication of antitrust papers in a special issue of the academic journal "Policy&Internet".

Discussion Facilitation:

1) How will you design the session to ensure the best possible experience for the online and on-site participants?
The session will be opened by moderator to provide participants an overview of the policy questions discussed in the session, the professional background of the speakers, and the format of interaction. In the part 2) of the session, the moderators with help of the onsite facilitator will ensure the audience from both onsite and online being able to ask questions to the speakers immediately following their introductions to encourage active participation. In the part 3), the session will move to policy question discussions. The moderators will invite each speaker to express their views on a set of policy questions and guide the discussions amongst speakers and the audience to foreground their common grounds and differences. In the part 4), moderators with help of onsite facilitator will invite questions from both the onsite audience and online participants, the question time will last about 25 minutes in order to provide sufficient interactions amongst speakers, onsite audience and online participants. The moderators will summarise the findings and recommendations and future actions of the panel.

2) If the speakers and organizers will all be online, how will you ensure interactions between the them and the participants (including with on-site participants)?
The session has an onsite facilitator at the IGF. And the onsite facilitator will work with the session's moderators and organizers to ensure interactions between speakers, moderators and onsite and online participants. Onsite facilitator and session's organizers will also work with the secretariat and the hosts to ensure the availabilities of the facilities for onsite participations.

Online Participation:

Usage of IGF Official Tool.

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IGF 2021 WS #77 Antitrust regulation of Internet platforms in global outlook

Information