Google, Amazon, Twitter, Apple, Netflix, Microsoft face heat over anti-competitive practices in India

The Standing Committee on Finance has summoned the top executives of technology giants such as Google, Amazon, Twitter, Netflix, Apple and Microsoft today. The committee has summoned these executives to discuss anti-competitive practices in the digital market, in line with earlier discussions. The committee is headed by BJP MP Jayant Sinha. 

According to a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the agenda of the meeting is: Oral evidence of the representatives of big tech companies on the subject of 'anti-competitive' practices by big tech companies. 

The committee, for the last few months, has been focusing on the technology giants and the way they have been operating in the marketplace. These tech giants will have to make presentations on how they are using and tracking Indian consumers’ data. 

Sinha said that the existing act for the digital marketing space was framed in 2002 and did not cater to the current challenges. “We have many reports of players using unfair practices which are harming businesses and putting citizens’ data at risk,” he said. 

The standing committee has already held deliberations with the CCI and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. 

The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 5 and was referred to the panel on August 17. The panel has three months to come up with its report. The new bill introduces ‘deal value thresholds’ which will require firms to seek approval of the CCI in case of large value transactions. 

For the uninitiated, anti-competitive practices have been in focus in the past few years with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) levying a penalty on Google for abusing its dominant role in the industry.

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