Digital Markets Taskforce

The Competition and Markets Authority has delivered the advice of its Digital Markets Taskforce to government on the potential design and implementation of pro-competitive measures for unlocking competition in digital markets.

From:
Competition and Markets Authority
Published
3 April 2020
Last updated
25 May 2021 — See all updates
Case type:
Markets
Case state:
Closed
Market sector:
Communications, Recreation and leisure
Opened:
3 April 2020
Closed:
8 December 2020

Admin timetable

Date Action
8 December 2020 Publication of Taskforce advice
31 July 2020 Deadline for responses to call for information
1 July 2020 Call for information launched
11 March 2020 Government announces Digital Markets Taskforce in the Budget

Contact

digitaltaskforce@cma.gov.uk

Media enquiries

Any media enquiries should be directed to press@cma.gov.uk.

Taskforce advice

8 December 2020: The Digital Markets Taskforce has now published its advice to government on the potential design and implementation of pro competitive measures for unlocking competition in digital markets.

Responses to call for information

Launch of call for information and stakeholder engagement

1 July 2020: The Digital Markets Taskforce has now launched and is seeking views and evidence from a wide range of stakeholders to inform its work advising Government on a new pro-competition approach for digital markets. As part of our work we have published a call for information and have also launched questionnaires for businesses who sell or distribute their products and services (including apps) using UK online marketplaces or app stores.

Stakeholders are invited to send their responses to digitaltaskforce@cma.gov.uk and complete the questionnaires by 31 July 2020.

Call for information

We are inviting views by 31 July 2020 on the issues raised in the call for information. We are keen to receive responses from a diverse range of stakeholders including platform operators and customers of digital platforms such as consumers and businesses that rely on digital platforms as a route to market (like providers of apps and marketplace retailers).

App store and online marketplace questionnaire

We also invite businesses who sell or distribute their products and services (including apps) on UK online marketplaces or app stores to complete a questionnaire on their experiences of using these platforms. We welcome responses to the questionnaires by 31 July 2020.

If you need help completing the questionnaire or prefer to complete it in a document format, please email digitaltaskforce@cma.gov.uk.

The Taskforce

The CMA has been asked by the Government to lead a Digital Markets Taskforce (the ‘Taskforce’). The Taskforce will benefit from expertise from Ofcom and ICO (as members of the Taskforce) and will draw on views and evidence from a range of stakeholders.

The Taskforce will provide Government with expert advice on the functions, processes and powers needed to deliver on Government’s objectives in digital platform markets in a proportionate and efficient way.

Government will decide what, if anything, it does in light of the Taskforce’s advice including what proposals it might wish to take forward, and where any additional powers to manage market power and to promote competition in digital platform markets should ultimately sit.

Further details can be found in the Digital Markets Taskforce: terms of reference

The work of the Taskforce will form part of the CMA’s ongoing work under its Digital Markets Strategy, complementing and building on the work undertaken by the CMA’s digital advertising market study.

Personal information

Any personal data provided to the CMA/Taskforce will be handled in accordance with the CMA’s obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation. Any personal data provided to the CMA/Taskforce will be processed for the purposes of the Taskforce’s work under Section 2 of the Enterprise Act 2002.

For more information about how the CMA handles personal information, see the CMA’s Personal Information Charter.

Digital advertising market study

The Taskforce’s work will build on the CMA’s recently completed market study on online platforms and digital advertising in the UK, in particular by considering how the findings of that study may apply to other platform markets. The market study delivered its final report on 1 July 2020.

Digital Markets Strategy

This Taskforce’s is part of the CMA’s Digital Markets Strategy, which sets out our broad approach to protecting consumers in the digital economy while ensuring robust, competitive digital markets.

Updates to this page

Published 3 April 2020
Last updated 25 May 2021 + show all updates

  1. A deck of slides has been published that summarises the Digital Taskforce advice published by the CMA in December 2020.

  2. Additional response to the call for information published.

  3. The Digital Markets Taskforce has published its advice to government on the potential design and implementation of pro-competitive measures for unlocking competition in digital markets. Responses to the call for information also published.

  4. Call for information launched.

  5. First published.

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