Internet regulation: Lords to question competition law and tech experts

In the first session, the Committee will question competition law experts. They will give their views on the challenges of applying competition and data protection laws to the online marketplace.

The session will begin at 3.30pm in Committee Room 2 of the House of Lords. The Committee will hear from:

• Professor Pinar Akman, Professor of Law, University of Leeds
• Dr Orla Lynskey, Assistant Professor of Law, London School of Economics
• Dr Nicolo Zingales Lecturer in Competition and Information Law, University of Sussex

Topics that will be covered include:

• The scale and market position of dominant digital platforms
• The current system by which competition regulators assess abuse of market dominance
• Strengths and weaknesses of the UK laws on mergers and acquisitions in terms of the online economy
• Users' right:
• The impact of the General Data Protection Regulation on competition.
  

In the second session, the Committee will question tech experts from the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh. They will be asked to discuss the history of the internet, the advantages and disadvantages of the use of algorithms online, the likely principles of ethical design and how these standards could be harmonised internationally.

At 4:30pm the Committee will question:

• Professor John Naughton of Cambridge University
• Ewa Luger, Chancellor's Fellow, University of Edinburgh
  

Topics that will be covered include:

• The extent to which platforms have become the dominant infrastructural and economic model for the internet
• The impact of the design of internet services or interfaces
• The biggest changes in the way we use and interact with internet services
• ‘Ethical by design' standards
• Policies regarding anonymity, privacy and age verification