New Digital Platform Issues Paper: Ecosystems

The ACCC has released its latest issues paper as part of its five year Digital Platform Services Inquiry.

The issues paper focuses on the expanding ecosystems of digital platform service providers. The report is due in September.

According to the Inquiry home page:

“The ACCC will consider potential competition and consumer issues and benefits from the expanding ecosystems of digital platform providers in Australia. This report will also consider smart home devices and consumer cloud storage solutions as examples of the expanding ecosystems of digital platform providers.

This report is the seventh interim report for the Digital Platform Services Inquiry and will consider the following areas relevant to expanding ecosystems of digital platform providers:

• The expansion strategies of digital platform providers

• The role of data in the expanding ecosystems of digital platform providers

• The level of interrelatedness of products and services within a digital platform ecosystem, including whether interrelated through technical interoperability or by commercial practices such as bundling

• Strategies to lock consumers into a single digital platform ecosystem

• Potential competition issues, such as bundling and tying, self-preferencing and pre-installation arrangements and default settings

• Potential consumer harms, such as conduct associated with the use of consumer data, dark patterns or other unfair or misleading behaviours

This report is due to be provided to the Treasurer by 30 September 2023.”

See ACCC media release.

See issues paper.

View Inquiry Home Page.