US tech giants claim that Indian commission recommended competition is ‘authoritarian’ and’regressive’ TechCrunch

An influential industry group representing Google and Meta, as well as other tech companies, expressed concern about a digital anti-competitive practice law that was recommended by an Indian parliamentary panel. It described the proposal to regulate it as “absolutist” and “regressive”, the latest escalation in tensions between the US and tech giants. New Delhi.

Last month, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance recommended that the government adopt a Digital Competition Act to regulate anticompetitive business practices on big tech companies’ platforms. This would prohibit them from preferentially promoting or supporting third-party systems and prohibit them from promoting their internal brands. The commission stated that the competition law would be beneficial not only for the country and its emerging economy but also for the entire world.

The Internet Alliance of the Asia Industrial Group stated in a statement that the proposed law for digital competition in India could negatively impact digital innovation and corporate investments in India. They also warned that it could have “disproportionate cost” for South Asian consumers. She added that the report submitted by committee was discretionary, arbitrary, and regression in nature.

India’s Commission for Antitrust said last month that its recommendation was systemically important and warned that tech giants should not choose their offerings over their competitors when acting as intermediaries in sales and supply markets.

The recommendation of the parliamentary committee refers to the EU Digital Markets Act, US Online Innovation and Choice Act, and Open Application Market Act.

AIC, the industry group, stated that OAMA as well as AICOA were “unable to gain bipartisan support due in part to fundamental disagreements about unintended consequences and concerns about growth and innovation for consumers, consumers, and growth.” It is not clear that the DMA-style legislation from the past is the best way to address competition concerns. Potential in the digital area.

India is the second-largest internet market in the world. It has attracted more investment than $75 billion from companies like Meta, Amazon and investment stores Sequoia Lightspeed, SoftBank, and Tiger Global over the past decade. New Delhi has proposed and implemented a variety of policy changes over the past three years in order to improve accountability and fairness in how tech companies operate in India. These moves have alarmed many US corporations.

New Delhi enters the 2023 year with several policy changes, including the Telecommunications Act. Tightening the government’s grip on Internet companies.

We urge the government first to determine if these regulatory developments from outside outweigh the cost. Particularly, it is important that you note that the government recently proposed two important bills. the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and the Competition Amendment Act (CAB), both of which seek to protect consumers, maintain competition and promote technological innovation, with “a particular focus,” said the Asia Internet Alliance. Particularly in relation to digital markets.

“Accordingly, it is critical that we first understand the implications of these two projects on the digital ecosystem before any new legislative proposals are submitted.”

Sundar Pichai CEO of Google said last month, “India is going through an important phase as it is crafting many major regulations.” He stressed that India is not yet finished. Stands for Benefit from the Open and Connected Internet.