Big data: Bringing competition policy to the digital era

The exponential growth of the digital economy has enabled the rise of business models based on the collection and processing of “Big Data”. The use of big data by firms for the development of products, processes and forms of organisation has the potential to generate substantial efficiency and productivity gains, for instance by improving decision-making, forecasting and allowing for better consumer segmentation and targeting. However, acquiring the necessary size to benefit from economies of scale and scope and network effects related to Big Data may potentially lead to monopoly positions, further enhanced through mergers of smaller, new providers of services that do not at first glance appear to be in the same market.

In November 2016, the OECD held a hearing discussion on Big Data to explore the implications on competition authorities' work and whether competition law is the appropriate tool for dealing with issues arising from the use Big Data.

» Read the OECD Background paper • Note du Secrétariat

» Read the Executive summary with key findings and the detailed summary of the discussion

» Full list of Competition Policy Roundtables

NOVEMBER 2016 SESSION DOCUMENTATION

Summary documents

Executive summary with key findings

Synthèse des points clés de la discussion

Pannelists and Papers

Background paper by the Secretariat • Note de référence du Secrétariat • ppt

Annabelle GAWER Bio
Professor of Digital Economy, University of Surrey, UK
presenting Competition policy and regulatory reforms for big data: Propositions to harness the power of big data while curbing platforms’ abuse of dominance

Geoffrey MANNE Bio
Founder and Executive Director, International Center for Law and Economics, US

Detailled summary of the discussion