A PYMNTS Company

Japan: JFTC targeting dominance in data

 |  July 16, 2017

Posted by Social Science Research Network

Financial Times

By Robin Harding in Tokyo

Japan is considering tough new rules on handling data in an effort to head off digital monopolies, the country’s top competition regulator has said. In an interview with the Financial Times, Kazuyuki Sugimoto, head of the Japan Fair Trade Commission, said the issue of data was “crucial” for competition policy given the rise of digital groups such as Facebook, Google and Uber. A recent JFTC study group suggested blocking mergers that monopolise data; requiring changes in corporate privacy policies; banning digital platforms from collecting unnecessary customer data; and prosecuting companies that keep essential data from the competition.

Mr Sugimoto’s comments add to the global debate about how to tackle companies that gain market power by amassing data. The European Union recently hit Google with a €2.42bn antitrust fine for abusing its dominance in internet search. Google is disputing the finding.

Continue Reading…