How Covid Undermine’s Europe’s Gatekeeper Theory

By William Echikson

When Covid-19 hit, much of my life and shopping in Brussels moved online. My Amazon purchases soared. But I shopped just as much elsewhere. I ordered wine online at the supermarket chain Cora’s fall sale. My single malt whiskey came from Drankdozijn.be. I needed a camera to project webinars and found the best price on Kamera-Express.be. My new Sony television came from Media-Markt.be.

My entire digital life navigated between a similar smorgasbord of services. I attended conferences and kept in touch with my coworkers via Skype, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger, Webex, Zoom, Google Meet, Google Hangout, and Amazon Chime. I watched videos on Netflix, YouTube, Vimeo, and elsewhere. I caught up on my messages on Gmail, Hotmail, Messenger, What’s App, and Viber.

European regulators should take note. In their bold Digital Markets Act proposal released on December 15, the Commission wants to obtain the power to designate certain “key” platforms as Digital Gatekeepers. These Gatekeepers will face restrictions on their activities, either being forced to hand over certain information on their users or suffer restrictions on their businesses.

The proposal fits into the prevailing narrative that Big Tech is dangerous. Although policymakers insist on a lack of choice — Gatekeepers decrease consumer choice and trust in digital service — the evidence does back up this assertion. In many areas of our digital life, low barriers to entry exist — building a simple web site often…