Parliamentary Panel Working on Fair Competition Framework for Digital Markets

A parliamentary panel reportedly grilled Big Tech companies together with Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and Uber on alleged anti-competitive practices on Tuesday. The panel mentioned a authorized framework to make sure honest competitors within the nation, in line with a report. The transfer comes shortly after the European Union handed the Digital Markets Act, which matches into power from subsequent yr. Last month, the parliamentary panel beforehand questioned representatives of eight companies together with Zomato, Swiggy, Flipkart, and MakeMyTrip. 

According to a report by PTI, members of the parlimentary panel, led by Union Minister Jayant Sinha, had recommended that they wished laws in place that was “not business unfriendly but at the same time saves the interests of the consumers as well.”

The panel additionally recommended that the main tech companies ought to “leave it to the limited wisdom of lawmakers to regulate in the manner as they deemed fit,” after the companies recommended that no extra regulation was required, as per the report.

Among the representatives current on the listening to on Tuesday had been Amazon India Country Manager, Consumer Business, Manish Tiwary; and Apple India Managing Director Strategy and Policy, Virat Bhatia. Facebook India Head of Public Policy Rajiv Aggarwal; Google India Director Government Affairs and Public Policy Archana Gulati; Netflix India Director Head of Indian Policy Ambika Khurana; Twitter India Senior Director Public Policy Samiran Gupta; Uber India and South Asia President Prabhjeet Singh, had been different representatives who additionally deposed earlier than the panel, in line with the report.

The panel is engaged on a report — anticipated within the first week of September — on the evolution of competitors regulation for digital markets that may deal particularly with issues associated to aggressive conduct and aggressive behaviour, the minister reportedly acknowledged after the assembly, including that the panel can even examine points associated to pricing, platform neutrality, and the way knowledge is utilized in adjoining markets.  

The minister additionally acknowledged that the report will contemplate the nation’s distinctive circumstances, however would “intensively examine and consider competition law associated with digital markets around the world”. Last month, the EU handed the Digital Markets Act, a set of landmark guidelines to designed to regulate tech giants together with Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.