Curbing Big Tech's IoT dominance

ABSTRACT The use of IoT products is increasingly becoming part of the everyday life of citizens in the EU. With the consumer IoT sector braced for rapid growth, the European Commission is concerned that it will be concentrated in a small number of companies. The Commission is particularly wary that Big Tech may leverage their large shares on the voice assistants market to harm developing competitors and consumers. The preliminary report of its inquiry into the consumer IoT sector published in June 2021 shows that many respondents share the Commission’s competition concerns. If, after analyzing the results of the inquiry, the Commission turns up evidence of anti-competitive practices by tech giants, it could initiate investigations against those companies to ensure compliance with EU rules on abuse of dominant position. Nevertheless, some experts doubt whether a crackdown on Big Tech would lead to a more competitive and innovative IoT market.