ITIF submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on emerging Internet peer-to-peer platforms—often called the “sharing” economy—and the economic activity these platforms facilitate. Companies in the sharing economy have begun to disrupt many industries on a global scale. Their platforms can dramatically increase consumer welfare, improve the utilization of existing resources, and provide income to millions of people who otherwise would not have jobs. The FTC has an important opportunity to support this transformation and protect consumers, not by engaging in heavy-handed regulation of the sharing economy, but by aggressively leading the fight against anticompetitive laws that stymie innovation and hurt consumers. By ensuring incumbents do not unfairly keep out new competitors and business models, the FTC can lead the federal government in promoting innovation and protecting consumers.
