Regulatory Concepts for Internet Platforms

Abstract

Several internet platforms control the central interfaces of the internet and have acquired enormous economic and social importance. These internet platforms show tendencies towards monopoly and expansion. An analysis of various existing regulatory concepts clarifies limits with regard to the challenges in connection with internet platforms. This thesis deals with the phenomenon and problem areas of dominant internet platforms, examines whether these can be adequately countered by existing regulatory concepts and provides recommendations on how these could be better captured by the regulations. This thesis explores the question of how internet platforms are regulated today, i.e. which laws and private regulations currently apply. Correspondingly, specific regulatory concepts are examined in broad detail. The analysis starts with various selfregulation forms, followed by regulatory concepts under competition law, which are intended to ensure the functionality of competition. These are transformed into regulatory concepts for the protection of consumers and their data and finally into comprehensive state forms of regulation in connection with monopolies.