Keywords
microtargeting, competition law, big tech, power, political advertising
Abstract
The nexus between European competition law and democracy has been widely researched. Against the background of the ongoing digital transition and the power of big technology companies, this contribution aims to advance the debate by focusing on a specific example of political microtargeting and its effects on the (digital) public sphere. It explores the potential role of European competition law in ameliorating these emergent harms. The argument is developed by showing that the role of big technology companies in political microtargeting processes extends beyond passive facilitators. By following financial incentives and treating citizens as consumers, these companies, in effect, reduce incommensurable democratic values to fit economic metrics. Although European competition law has traditionally played a limited role in addressing political microtargeting challenges, there may be instances where the special responsibility of powerful private entities should extend to mitigating market-induced harms to democracy.
Acknowledgements
Funding
Viktorija Morozovaite’s work was part of the fulfilment of the project “Modern Bigness”, funded by the European Research Council (ERC StG No.853005) led by Anna Gerbrandy. She was also partially supported by a Spinoza grant of the Dutch Research Council (NWO) awarded to José van Dijck, Professor of Media and Digital Society at Utrecht University.
Anna Gerbrandy’s work is part of the fulfilment of the “Modern Bigness” – project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC StG No.853005). Anna is PI of this project.
Declaration of Conflict of Interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and publication of this article.
Declaration about the scope of AI utilisation
The author did not use AI tools in the preparation of this article.
Recommended Citation
Morozovaite, V., & Gerbrandy, A. (2024). Exploring the Nexus between European Competition Law and Democratic Society: A Case of Political Microtargeting. Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies, 17(30), 9-40. https://doi.org/10.7172/1689-9024.YARS.2024.17.30.1
First Page
9
Last Page
40
Page Count
32
Received Date
14.05.2024
Accepted Date
08.10.2024
DOI
10.7172/1689-9024.YARS.2024.17.30.1
JEL Code
D72, D91, K16, K21
Publisher
University of Warsaw
