Competition Overdose by Maurice E. Stucke & Ariel Ezrachi

Author:Maurice E. Stucke & Ariel Ezrachi [Stucke, Maurice E. & Ezrachi, Ariel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

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Reflections

After inquiries from the New York Times and New Mexico’s lawsuit, Google terminated Tiny Lab’s account and removed its apps from its Play store.171 If the allegations against it are true, Tiny Lab did indeed break the law.172 But is this small Lithuanian start-up the real villain?

Might it be the Gamemaker that pushes the toxic competition to degrade privacy so that it can profit from the personal data it harvests and hoards? Of course it is to blame.

Beyond that, however, does the Gamemaker bear the sole responsibility here? Or does it share responsibility with our legislators and enforcers? After all, the Gamemakers operate in a legal environment that our elected representatives designed. An environment that enables corporations to maximize value and profit for their shareholders, with little regard for consumers. An environment that is anti-regulation and pro-competition, even when the competition is toxic.

Ultimately, the villain is neither Tiny Lab nor the Gamemakers, but the game itself. It is our duty as a society to create an environment in which the game is played differently. In which capital works to serve our interests, rather than us serving its interests. An environment in which the motivation of businesses is aligned with our interests. Where we are not ultimately reduced to data serfs. A legal and social environment in which today’s Gamemakers and future ones are limited in their ability to distort and exploit.

So what can we do? What kind of world do we want to live in? Let’s consider some solutions—starting with how we define competition.

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