Competition Policy and the Digital Era: A Perspective into the Dynamics of Digital Markets and Competition Policy

Technological intervention in the business world has completely revamped the way businesses are done. Doing business through digital platforms while is convenient, it is not insulate to unfair business practices. Opaqueness and uniqueness of digital platforms have made it difficult to detect these practices, thus posing a challenge for the authorities and governments.. The existing criteria of detecting unfair practices have proven to be ineffective . The integration of technology into our daily lives and the all-pervasive nature of it has made the impact of anti-competitive conduct in Digital Markets a topic of discussion among governments and policymakers. Much research is being conducted by policymakers and various organizations in studying the negative impact of these technological innovations on markets and their way of doing business, as well as consumers and other competing firms. A basic understanding of the functioning of these markets has made it clear that the existing competition regime with its enforcement tools is ineffective in identifying and controlling the anti-competitive business practices in the digital markets. This paper seeks to discuss the various challenges associated with the functioning of digital platforms and the possible solutions that can be put to use to tackle the emerging issues of competition policy vis a vis digital markets.