Big Data Markets and Competition Law in Asia

The sheer size of e-commerce markets in Asia and their projected growth are remarkable. South Korea’s projected e-commerce revenues in 2025, for example, are comparable to France and Italy, and Indonesia’s projected revenues exceed Italy’s. Further, key parameters such as consumer behavior related to the frequency of online shopping, use of mobile phones to conduct online transactions, and the number of mobile phone users are often significantly higher than those observed in many developed countries. As consumer and business online transactions increase, the amount of Big Data accumulated and analyzed by e-commerce firms and platforms increases dramatically. This setting in many Asian economies offers an opportunity to take a deeper look at the potential competition problems that may emerge due to consolidation of Big Data. After discussing the scale and scope of e-commerce markets and related attributes, this article presents some competition law initiatives in selected Asian countries. While many competition authorities have concerns about consolidation of Big Data and its effects on M&As, firms’ behavior that may result in dominance, and potentially algorithmic collusion, they are also cognizant of the innovations these firms and emerging markets bring to their countries and consumer welfare.

By Vivek Ghosal[1]

I. INTRODUCTION

E-commerce platforms and online retailers collect unique consumer data during search and transactions. Algorithms and mach