Regulation of Digital Platforms and the State's Use of Platform Technologies in China

37 Pages Posted: 3 Jun 2024

See all articles by Jens Prufer

Jens Prufer

Tilburg University - Law and Economics Center (TILEC); Tilburg University - Department of Economics; University of East Anglia (UEA) - Centre for Competition Policy; University of East Anglia (UEA) - School of Economics

Inge Graef

Tilburg Law School; Tilburg University - Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (TILT); Tilburg Law and Economics Center (TILEC)

Doh-Shin Jeon

Toulouse School of Economics (TSE); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Date Written: May 13, 2024

Abstract

Platform technologies (Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics) are not only used in the West but also in autocratic countries. While the major players in the West are privately-owned big tech firms, in autocratic countries the government assumes a much more active role. China is the most advanced of these countries. This report takes stock of China's current state of digital platform markets and regulation of platform technologies, including a series of recent governmental interventions and a description of the Chinese Central Bank Digital Currency. It also offers a view on the current use of platform technologies by the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including Social Credit Systems and the surveillance state. Based on these insights, we identify key challenges for EU policy makers and formulate crucial questions for future (more quantitative) research.

Keywords: China, platform markets, regulation, social credit system, central bank digital currency. JEL-codes: D04, L51, L86, P52

Suggested Citation

Prufer, Jens and Graef, Inge and Jeon, Doh-Shin, Regulation of Digital Platforms and the State's Use of Platform Technologies in China (May 13, 2024). TILEC Discussion Paper No. 2024-05, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4852160 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4852160

Jens Prufer (Contact Author)

Tilburg University - Law and Economics Center (TILEC) ( email )

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Tilburg University - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 90153
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University of East Anglia (UEA) - Centre for Competition Policy ( email )

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University of East Anglia (UEA) - School of Economics ( email )

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University of East Anglia
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Inge Graef

Tilburg Law School ( email )

Tilburg, 5000 LE
Netherlands

Tilburg University - Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (TILT) ( email )

P.O.Box 90153
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Tilburg, 5037
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Tilburg Law and Economics Center (TILEC) ( email )

Warandelaan 2
Tilburg, 5000 LE
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Doh-Shin Jeon

Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) ( email )

Place Anatole-France
Toulouse Cedex, F-31042
France

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

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