ACCC calls for input on probe into power of tech giants
The ACCC has called upon consumers, businesses and relevant stakeholders to provide feedback on their experience working with the likes of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft.
The consumer watchdog has begun a crackdown on technology giants that “leverage their market power” across digital ecosystems, calling for input from key stakeholders on the matter.
The ACCC on Wednesday called upon consumers, businesses and relevant stakeholders to provide feedback on their experience working with the likes of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft.
The watchdog’s probe into the digital ecosystems and anti-competitive behaviour of tech giants form part of its seventh report under a five-year Digital Platform Services Inquiry. The sixth report, which covers competition and consumer issues in relation to social media, will be delivered later this month.
“Australian consumers and businesses are increasingly reliant on the products and services offered by digital platforms so it’s crucial we examine how these companies are expanding their reach,” ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.
The inquiry will consider actions taken by technology giants including developing confusing interfaces that can “manipulate users into taking certain actions” (known as “dark patterns”), as well as conditional service offerings, known as “tying”, which limit access to certain services.
The watchdog will also assess the impacts of service providers that engage in “bundling”, which is where a business requires a service be sold as a package or only discounted if purchased together, and “self-preferencing”, which refers to a service giving preferential treatment to its own products when they compete against others.
Ms Cass-Gottlieb said large digital platforms had “become an integral part of our daily lives” and that the ACCC report would assess how large amounts of data collected by companies was being leveraged across products and services.
“Interconnected products, like smart home devices and cloud storage solutions, can provide consumers with a seamless experience that simplifies everyday tasks, but it’s important that competition and consumers are not harmed as digital platforms invest across different sectors and technologies and expand their reach,” she said.
The ACCC said the seventh report would largely focus on the expansion strategies of big tech companies and whether intentional attempts to be anticompetitive had been made.
“Excessive collection and potentially problematic use of personal data or other behaviours such as dark patterns to confuse or manipulate consumers will also be considered,” it said in a statement.
Previous reports that formed part of the long-term inquiry have considered new laws that would force Apple and Google to allow third-party payments on their app stores, limit the fees that tech giants could collect from sellers and allow users to change default apps on their devices.
Another report touted the idea of enforcing mandatory dispute resolution processes and stronger requirements for combating scams and harmful apps.
Input on the latest review is due by April 5.
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