The issue was discussed by members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance after a presentation was made before it by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
On Thursday, the Parliamentary panel decided to summon representatives of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and others to examine their competitive behaviour. The next meeting of the panel on the issue is likely to be held on May 12.
CCI told the panel that it was setting up a 'Digital Markets and Data Unit' for effectively dealing with anti-competition practices of big tech companies and bringing a new bill to amend the CCI Act.
CCI also cited a number of investigations it is carrying out in the digital space, including those against Google, Facebook-WhatsApp (banned and recognized as extremist in Russia), Apple, Amazon, Flipkart, MakeMyTrip-Goibibo, Swiggy and Zomato.
“With the rise of digital markets and the importance of the digital economy for the India’s economic growth and global position, it is very important to look at our competition law to see whether it is the equal to those in the advanced jurisdictions like the European Union, United States, Australia and United Kingdom,”
the panel's Chairman Jayant Sinha said.
In the presentation, CCI also said that it was strengthening its institutional capacity, recalibrating the competition law regime, observing global developments in big tech and monitoring technological developments in digital markets.
Source: Hindustan Times
