Parl panel to summon Google, Twitter, Amazon, different large tech companies to debate their aggressive conduct

By PTI

NEW DELHI: With numerous international tech giants dealing with CCI probe for alleged anti-competitive practices, a key Parliamentary panel on Thursday determined to summon representatives of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and others to look at their aggressive behaviour.

The subsequent assembly of the panel on the problem is prone to be held on May 12. The concern was mentioned intimately by members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance after a presentation was made earlier than it by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

The regulator informed the panel that it was organising a ‘Digital Markets and Data Unit’ for successfully coping with anti-competition practices of huge tech corporations and bringing a brand new invoice to amend the CCI Act.

CCI additionally cited numerous investigations it’s finishing up within the digital area, together with these towards Google, Facebook-WhatsApp, Apple, Amazon, Flipkart, MakeMyTrip-Goibibo, Swiggy and Zomato.

The assembly additionally comes towards the backdrop of mounting considerations globally, together with in India, about alleged practices of huge tech gamers and know-how platforms that might be adversely impacting competitors out there place.

About the assembly, the panel’s Chairman Jayant Sinha informed PTI that it had “an excellent set of discussions” with officers from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Competition Commission of India.

“In our next hearing (on this issue), we will be calling most of the major tech companies to hear their perspective and how competition law in India is evolving to address the needs and challenges associated with digital space. All of the major companies we are going to invite. Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Microsoft and others. Competition laws is evolving across the world to meet the challenges associated with the digital markets,” Sinha stated.

Sinha, a BJP chief and a former Union minister, stated the panel will talk about about aggressive behaviour of those corporations.

According to sources, BJP member CM Ramesh raised the problem of cartelisation amongst cement corporations with the CCI officers and their response on the matter is predicted within the subsequent assembly. Besides, the panel mentioned in regards to the present competitors regulation.

According to Sinha, the CCI Act was initiated in 2002 and final amended in 2007.

A invoice to amend the Act can also be underway whereby provisions are prone to be launched to take care of anti-competition practices of tech giants, CCI informed the panel.

“It has been 15 years since substantial amendments have been made to our competition law.”

“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,” Sinha stated.

According to him, at the moment’s discussions had been to evaluate how the competitors regulation is evolving and what else is required to place it for the longer term.

“We as a committee are examining what direction our competition law should evolve to meet these requirements,” he famous.

In the presentation, CCI additionally stated that it was strengthening its institutional capability, recalibrating the competitors regulation regime, observing international developments in large tech and monitoring technological developments in digital markets.