UK’s competition regulator demands tougher action on Google and Facebook

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has called on the UK government to create “a new pro-competition regulatory regime” that can control Facebook, Google and other technology companies that are primarily funded by digital advertising.

The Unit would have a “fairness-by-design” policy, too, and the power to separate platforms — Facebook and Instagram, for instance, or Google and YouTube — if it was needed to “ensure healthy competition.”

These powers would be complimented by some company-specific initiatives. The regulator believes, for instance, that Google should be forced to hand over its search data — the questions people type and the links they click on, for instance — so that rivals can improve their own search algorithms and “properly compete.” The CMA also believes that the Unit should somehow “restrict” Google’s ability to be the default search engine on many device and browsers.