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ARTICLE · 02 AUGUST 2019

Australian consumer watchdog, ACCC, to clamp down on digital giants

Holding Redlich
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The ACCC has called on the Government to rein in the immense market power of digital media giants, Google and Facebook.

AustraliaAntitrust/Competition Law
Dan Pearce
Dan Pearce
Madison Tonkes
Madison Tonkes
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Australia's consumer watchdog has called on the Federal Government to rein in the significant market power of digital media giants, Google and Facebook in its Digital Platforms Inquiry final report released on 26 July 2019 (Report).

After an 18 month Inquiry, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) Report made 23 formal recommendations in total, many of which seek to address the substantial market power held by Facebook and Google. The Report also highlighted a disconnect between how consumers believe their data should be used and how it is actually being used by digital media entities.

The Report illustrated the ACCC's concern at the effect on competition made by digital search engines, social media platforms and other digital content aggregation platforms in the media and the online advertising services market.

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