Rise of the Internet Platforms: Economic Benefits and Policy Questions for Europe’s Digital Single Market

Please join the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in Brussels on 9 December for an expert panel discussion on the role and influence of multisided Internet market platforms such as Facebook, Google, Spotify, and Uber, and the questions they raise for policymakers.

The role and influence of Internet platforms generally—and the prominence of some U.S. platforms in particular—has led to calls for greater regulation, or at least greater scrutiny by policymakers. Indeed, the European Commission is now undertaking a consultation on the regulatory environment for Internet platforms and online intermediaries.

This panel will discuss how Internet platforms function, the economic value they create, and their marketplace dynamics in order to assess appropriate policy responses, particularly to questions of competition. ITIF President Rob Atkinson will present findings from a recent ITIF report on platform policy.