Regulating the tech giants and online harms

In the current digital age, technology companies have rapidly grown in size and influence, transforming into virtual gatekeepers of our online world. The increasing dominance of these tech giants has sparked significant concerns about market competition and online harms, prompting regulatory authorities across the globe to rethink their approach to digital regulation.

This series of articles takes a deep dive into the regulatory landscapes of the United Kingdom and the European Union, exploring new and proposed legislation that will have profound implications for the tech industry, and indeed, for all of us who live in the digital world.

We have provided some comparative analysis of the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill (DMCCB), and an overview of the requirements under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK government's proposed Online Safety Bill (OSB).

In the EU the DMA seeks to address anti-competitive practices by so-called 'gatekeeper' platforms, while the DSA aims to improve accountability and transparency around issues such as content moderation, disinformation, and data use. Meanwhile, in the UK, the government's proposed Online Safety Bill represents an ambitious step towards safeguarding users from harmful content online, while the DMCCB looks to reform competition and consumer policy, as well as introduce a new bespoke regulatory regime to tackle the perceived market failures stemming from the dominance of the largest digital platforms.

Join us as we delve into the legal and societal implications of taming the digital giants and building a safer, more competitive, and transparent digital future.