Why do BigTech platforms introduce payment services? Digital platforms often run business models where activities on the platform generate data that can be monetized off the platform. There is a trade-off between the value of such data and the privacy concerns of users, since platforms need to...

Der vorliegende Beitrag erörtert die wichtigsten Herausforderungen, die sich durch die Digitalisierung stellen. Analysiert werden die Fragen, inwiefern die die Digitalisierung zu einer Monopolisierung von Märkten führt, wie das Kartellrecht nach der 9. GWBNovelle diese Befürchtungen...

The Internet has become an integral part of the everyday life of households, firms and governments. Its proper functioning over the long run is therefore crucial for economic growth and people’s wellbeing more generally. The success of the Internet depends on its openness and the confidence of...

Information processing has been defined as “the change (processing) of information in any manner detectable by an observer, a process that describes everything that happens in the universe, from the falling of a rock to the printing of a text file from a digital computer system.” Human...

This report provides an overview of the relevant economic research literature on platforms or multi-sided online markets. It discusses platforms from a regulatory policy angle, including potential market failures in platforms, the extent of self-regulation and possible regulatory responses...

The use of smartphone apps has numerous advantages for app providers and users. However, the users of many smartphone apps are confronted with a trade-off between usage benefits and preferences for personal data protection. We investigate the acceptability of data sharing in different...

From trade in goods then trade in services, we now have digital trade. While there is no universally accepted definition, an emerging consensus on the scope of digital trade is that it includes all cross-border resident/non-resident transactions that are either digitally ordered, online platform...

We investigate the effect of an EU-wide consumer protection regulation on consumer trust as well as consumer behavior. The Unfair Commercial Practice Directive (UCPD) was implemented by EU member states between 2007 and 2010. We utilize data from the Special and Flash Eurobarometer for the years...

The ubiquitous exchange of data across borders has given rise to a range of concerns by governments and citizens about some of the effects of so much information being collected and used, often without the knowledge of data subjects. This has led countries to condition or prohibit the transfer...