A little ironic that’s what occurred in mid-June, as the Corona-Warning-the App was introduced. The Federal government switched full-page Ads in Newspapers to advertise the App. Presentation and content were very reduced, but on the page was made for the two company strong advertising – Google and Apple. With a fat, coloured Logos, attention was drawn to the App Stores of the two providers of Smartphone operating systems.
The irony of history: On the same day, the European Commission opened antitrust proceedings against Apple to interfere with the accusation that the company need to miss just its App Store to its market continues to expand, and App developers. Google’s Android operating system had buttoned the competition authorities in Brussels almost two years.
that’s how it is in the digital world: Google and Apple, the Federal government no longer comes by itself. The two Mega-companies have become the “gatekeepers” of the Internet: you control access to the network, be it on operating systems, App Stores or the search engine.
The economic Power, which is cemented, thus, may endanger free competition. Together with Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft, Google and Apple dominate large parts of the Internet. Sent to the corporations to expand their Power further and further to the all-encompassing “Ecosystem”. On the one hand, according to the initial letters of the four Top groups, GAFA, to be referred to companies are a driver of innovation, on the other hand, lock hinder “in-effects” of the competition. Potential competitors will also be purchased not infrequently, early on, from the market.
the Power of The Sunglasses limit
This problems only consumer advocates with concern, but also representatives from industry and SMEs do not see more in the meantime: If the Silicon Valley companies hold the key to “smart” applications in the Hand, other companies are dependent on them, in order to get access to the customers. Added to this is often a competitive advantage by Gathering and Analyzing huge data sets about which hardly anyone else has.
These findings and Concerns are not entirely new. The Federal cartel office has already conducted proceedings against Facebook, and Amazon, in order to protect the competition, the European Commission has examined the practices of Google and Apple. However, the current rules, with which the authorities can work, are not sufficient in view of the interplay of technology, data, and economic rights.
