Big data and competition law: Improving competition regulation outcomes of the big data analytics market

Abstract

The increased adoption of Big Data Analytics Software across the economy has led to the cross-sectoral dominance of early adopters of the software, including companies such as Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon- the ‘GAMMA’ Group- leading to the creation of new specialised Market Growth strategies being developed by the group. Data-Led acquisitions of the GAMMA Group into non-digital market sectors have resulted in the GAMMA Group being able to enter new markets and quickly garner a dominant market position at entry, by virtue of the value gained though acquiring unique data sets, a valuable asset class unable to be exploited by companies that do not adopt Big Data Analytics Software. These specialised forms of Market Share Growth Strategies, have allowed for the GAMMA Group to rapidly grow across multiple sectors, entrenching their dominance across the wider economy, which has resulted in negative impacts across the markets they inhabit, including having undue influence on the market, harming the overall competitiveness of the market and conferring harms upon the consumer without significant challenge from Competition Regulators. The Thesis’ primary aim is to find a suitable development of UK Merger Control and wider UK Competition Law to improve the competitive outcomes of the Big Data Analytics Market, improving the competitiveness of the Market for consumers, new market entrants and increasing innovation. The Research will employ interdisciplinary research using multiple fields of research to determine create the most effective advancements including the proposed creation of a specialised market regulator for a newly defined market the ‘Big Data Analytics Market’. Providing a unique and novel advancement to the UK Competition Law Framework in addressing the inability to effectively regulate Big Data Analytics Software, in a manner that can provide the UK an internationally competitive advantage by increasing the competitiveness of the UK Market, and increasing the desirability of the UK Market for the GAMMA Group and other such companies using Big Data Analytics Market.