Cracking the Conundrum of Self-Preferential Treatment on Digital Platforms:A New Perspective on Independent Abusive Practices
Digital platforms,holding the dual roles of platform operators and participants in the marketplace,may provide preferential treatment to their own products or services compared to those of third-party operators or sellers dependent on their platforms.This preferential treatment can detrimentally affect competition and diminish consumer welfare.Currently,there is no consensus within academia and industry on the regulatory framework and analytical approach to address self-preferential behavior.Based on the intrinsic causes and external manifestations of self-preferential treatment,it is argued that such behavior on digital platforms should be viewed as an independent form of abuse.Considering that self-preferential treatment typically yields certain economic effects,regulatory analysis should focus on behavioral measures and involve comprehensive evaluation based on individual cases and circumstances.
digital platformsself-preferential treatmentdual roleindependent abuse behavior
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