{"id":28768,"date":"2022-12-06T12:00:20","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2022\/12\/06\/why-the-app-store-and-google-play-must-be-subject-to-antitrust-laws\/"},"modified":"2022-12-06T12:00:20","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T12:00:20","slug":"why-the-app-store-and-google-play-must-be-subject-to-antitrust-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2022\/12\/06\/why-the-app-store-and-google-play-must-be-subject-to-antitrust-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the App Store and Google Play must be subject to antitrust laws"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> \n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<header aria-label=\"Beginning of Article\" class=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"sponsored-meta sponsored-meta--story\" data-aqa=\"sponsorship\">\n<div class=\"sponsored-meta-content\">\n<div class=\"sponsored-meta-content-text\"> This section is <\/p>\n<div class=\"popover\" data-aqa=\"popover\" data-click-to-appear=\"True\" data-container=\"\" data-container-offset=\"\" data-popover-component=\"\" data-position=\"\"> <button class=\"popover__trigger\"> <span class=\"popover__text\"> Presented <\/span> <\/button> <\/p>\n<div aria-describedby=\"popover-desc-sponsored-popup\" class=\"popover__content\" hidden=\"\" role=\"dialog\">\n<div class=\"popover__content__wrapper\">\n<p> This section was produced by the editorial department. The client was not given the opportunity to put restrictions on the content or review it prior to publication. <\/p>\n<p> <button class=\"popover__content__close\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"Close\"> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" class=\"icon--close\" height=\"12\" version=\"1.1\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\" width=\"12\"><polygon points=\"12 0.95 11.05 0 6 5.05 0.95 0 0 0.95 5.05 6 0 11.05 0.95 12 6 6.95 11.05 12 12 11.05 6.95 6\"\/><\/svg><\/button> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p> by  HSBC  <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"sponsored-meta-content-logo-container\">   <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\" data-aqa=\"nav-breadcrumb\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Breadcrumb Trail Links<\/h2>\n<ol class=\"breadcrumbs__items list-unstyled\">\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\"> News <\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\"> Innovation <\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\"> Economy <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"article-header__detail\">\n<div class=\"article-header__detail__texts\">\n<p class=\"article-subtitle\"> Musk&#8217;s hasty retreat underscores the pressing need for consistent, global standards for mobile application stores <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"featured-image\" data-aqa=\"featured-image\"><picture class=\"featured-image__ratio\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;h=423&amp;type=webp,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;h=846&amp;type=webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;h=423&amp;type=jpg,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;h=846&amp;type=jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;h=354&amp;type=webp,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;h=708&amp;type=webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;h=354&amp;type=jpg,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;h=708&amp;type=jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;h=216&amp;type=webp,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=576&amp;h=432&amp;type=webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, in 2019.\" class=\"featured-image__image type:primaryImage\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;h=216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;h=216,&#10;                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/no1205musk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=576&amp;h=432 2x\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"featured-image__caption image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, in 2019.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Mike Blake\/Reuters files<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">The digital application stores run by Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.\u2018s Google are\u00a0arguably the most powerful global digital regulators because they effectively set and enforce standards related to what apps we can access and how.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment5596802973363309763011632630333440\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment5596802973363309763011632630333440\">Advertisement 2<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-2\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[6,6],[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-interscroller=\"6x6\" data-ad-loc=\"2\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[6,6],[320,50],[300,50],[300,250],[300,600]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-2\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:600px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>Regulators left Apple and Google to operate as a duopoly for more than a decade, but are now responding to the power imbalances perpetuated by these stores, increasingly pushing back on the norms that the two companies have put in place, while also considering new rules designed specifically for the largest digital technology companies.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"article-content__widget-group article-content__widget-group--content-slot6 article-content__widget-group--newsletter-slot\">\n<section aria-labelledby=\"FinancialPostTopStories8303715296685242579207638120136704\" class=\"newsletter-widget fp-headlinenews background--primary-light-gradient\" data-account-id=\"b9d3df2fccd108b5eff3c44f573b2cd6\" data-aqa=\"widget-newsletter\" data-newsletter=\"single\" data-newsletter-component=\"\" data-target-list=\"FP_HeadlineNews\" data-widget=\"newsletter\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Financial Post Top Stories Banner\" class=\"newsletter-widget__banner\" height=\"60\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/FPTopStories-06232021.jpg\" width=\"97\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__body\">\n<h2 class=\"newsletter-widget__title\" id=\"FinancialPostTopStories8303715296685242579207638120136704\">Financial Post Top Stories<\/h2>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text\">Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the Financial Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.<\/p>\n<div class=\"js-replace-main\">  <small class=\"newsletter-widget__disclaimer text-size--micro\"> By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 <\/small> <\/div>\n<div class=\"js-submit-success\" hidden=\"\" id=\"submitSuccessFP_HeadlineNews\">\n<h3 class=\"newsletter__feedback--heading\">Thanks for signing up!<\/h3>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text\">A welcome email is on its way. If you don&#8217;t see it, please check your junk folder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text newsletter__feedback--last\">The next issue of Financial Post Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text js-submit-error\" hidden=\"\" id=\"submitErrorFP_HeadlineNews\"> We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>In the process, a set of best practices is taking shape that offers a global governance agenda for app stores. As a late bloomer on competition reform, Canada has a unique opportunity to import this emerging agenda with new coherence.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">The 30 per cent \u201ctax\u201d charged by Apple\u2019s App Store roared into the broader public consciousness when <a data-evt=\"click\" data-evt-typ=\"click\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" link=\"\" musk=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1597301968208556032?s=20&amp;t=xsOlDez39ys2wjrGnJBGaA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Elon Musk<\/a> pouted about it on Twitter following the assertion in the New York Times from Twitter Inc.\u2019s former head of trust and safety that Apple\u2019s and Google\u2019s guidelines could risk Twitter\u2019s expulsion from their app stores.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment6673270897027975968821454902919168\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment6673270897027975968821454902919168\">Advertisement 3<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-3\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[7,7],[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-interscroller=\"7x7\" data-ad-loc=\"3\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[7,7],[300,250],[320,50],[300,50]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-3\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>Musk was not the first person to object to the ability of the App Store to do things like ban competing app distribution platforms, tie access to the App Store with an in-app payment system that charges a 30 per cent commission for digital goods and services offered on its platforms, deterring customers from downloading apps outside of its stores, and more.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">A myriad of lawsuits and antitrust investigations amount to a fragmented full court press on Apple and Google, testing the existing norms of the stores. A class action lawsuit in California that alleges Alphabet is violating U.S. anti-competition laws in how it runs Google Play is proceeding on the heels of thirty-seven U.S. state and district attorney generals launching a similar suit last year. Utah alleges that Google uses anticompetitive agreements and payoffs to maintain a mobile app store monopoly so it can extract higher fees from app developers and users. Building on state-led interventions, the proposed Open App Markets Act in the U.S. would establish rules related to the operation of any app store with more than 50 million users.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment1545578825608091594064100337909760\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment1545578825608091594064100337909760\">Advertisement 4<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-4\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"4\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-4\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">The EU\u2019s Digital Markets Act aims to make the digital economy fairer and more contestable, and seeks to prevent gatekeepers from imposing unfair conditions on businesses and end users. Japan\u2019s Act on Improving Transparency and Fairness of Digital Platforms similarly makes digital platform providers subject to specific regulations. Advice from the U.K.\u2019s Digital Markets Task Force has informed draft legislation that sets out new competition rules for digital markets.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">Other test cases have been company-specific, including Spotify Technology SA\u2019s 2019 filing with the European Commission against Apple\u2019s App Store rules and the lawsuit that Epic Games, a subsidiary of Tencent Holdings Ltd., filed against Apple in 2020.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment4888299501939173542858488318787584\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment4888299501939173542858488318787584\">Advertisement 5<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-5\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"5\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-5\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">In contrast, Canada\u2019s current consultation on the Future of Competition Policy in Canada makes no specific mention of app stores. Instead, it gestures at the challenge of data and digital markets and gently raises whether we should create \u201cbright line rules or presumptions for dominant firms or platforms\u201d in an allusion to international counterparts. Digesting the document requires some reading between the lines that is emblematic of Canada\u2019s legislative conservatism.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">Pumping the brakes on updated regulation is a recent report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Future of Business Centre that cautions against new interventions to enforce against digital market dominance. The report argues that the pace of change in the digital economy leaves competition enforcers in the dust, so regulators would constantly being fighting the last war.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment7292089952128284193347404392562688\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment7292089952128284193347404392562688\">Advertisement 6<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-6\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"6\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-6\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">While that mismatch is worth acknowledging, it is hardly mutually exclusive from greater enforcement velocity. That appeal is tough to swallow when one considers the most recent G7 inventory of new rules for digital markets, where Canada was not listed because we have been so reluctant to adapt. Perhaps addressing the barriers that prevent the Competition Bureau from faster case analysis and completion would be a more responsible way to address this mismatch, instead of throwing up our hands. Being cautious works in favour of companies, not consumers.<\/p>\n<section aria-labelledby=\"moreTopicLabel5695632938641062281335169571880960\" class=\"more-topic\" data-aqa=\"embed-more-topic\" data-carousel-component=\"\" data-carousel-icon-button=\"\" data-carousel-type=\"list\"> <button aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"more-topic__button-prev\" data-carousel-prev=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"previous\" type=\"button\"\/> <\/p>\n<ol class=\"more-topic__items list-unstyled\" data-carousel-slide-list=\"\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<li class=\"more-topic__item\" data-carousel-item=\"\">  <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Advertising on Google's search engine and YouTube brought in an estimated $6.2 billion, or $162 per Canadian, in 2021.\" class=\"lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/google-ads-vw1123.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/google-ads-vw1123.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80,&#10;                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/google-ads-vw1123.jpg?h=192&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 2x,&#10;                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/google-ads-vw1123.jpg?h=288&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 3x\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<h3 class=\"more-topic__item-text\"> <span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\"> Vass Bednar: Digital ads are a desperate gamble in a fantasy economy <\/span> <\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"more-topic__item\" data-carousel-item=\"\">  <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne at a conference in Ottawa.\" class=\"lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1027champagne.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1027champagne.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80,&#10;                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1027champagne.jpg?h=192&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 2x,&#10;                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1027champagne.jpg?h=288&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 3x\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<h3 class=\"more-topic__item-text\"> <span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\"> Vass Bednar: Why Champagne&#8217;s intervention in the Rogers-Shaw merger rings hollow <\/span> <\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"more-topic__item\" data-carousel-item=\"\">  <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bank towers in Toronto's financial district.\" class=\"lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/open-banking-vw1003.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/open-banking-vw1003.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80,&#10;                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/open-banking-vw1003.jpg?h=192&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 2x,&#10;                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/open-banking-vw1003.jpg?h=288&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 3x\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<h3 class=\"more-topic__item-text\"> <span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\"> If open banking is for consumers, why are they missing from the discussion? <\/span> <\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><button aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"more-topic__button-next\" data-carousel-next=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"next\" type=\"button\"\/> <\/section>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment6029416895937817870874673724522496\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment6029416895937817870874673724522496\">Advertisement 7<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-7\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"7\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-7\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>Whether Canada will pursue the use of qualitative criteria to identify companies with a particular level of market power, or what such a designation process should look like, might depend on whether the issue is raised during the small window Ottawa has opened to consider the modernization of competition law. Canada can join the chorus of competition experts grappling with unique business behaviours that have become the norm for all app stores.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">Maybe Elon Musk\u2019s <a data-evt=\"click\" data-evt-typ=\"click\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" link=\"\" outburst=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1597301968208556032?s=20&amp;t=fdCl8HsWOdddrpndSaDnuQ\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">recent outburst<\/a> can do for app stores what Taylor Swift\u2019s fandom has done for Ticketmaster and catapult associated competition issues to the top of regulators\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">However, there is reason to wonder if even Musk, the world\u2019s richest person, has the wherewithal to force change at the app stores. Not long after his outburst, Musk was seen strolling with Apple chief executive Tim Cook, and Apple has resumed advertising with Twitter to the tune of $100 million annually.<\/p>\n<p>Musk\u2019s hasty retreat underscores the pressing need for consistent, global standards for mobile application stores that Canada can help to catalyze by importing Washington\u2019s Open Apps Market Act. But in the online \u201cstore\u201d of proposed regulatory interventions to tame the market manipulation of mobile application stores, so far nothing shows up when you search for \u201cCanada.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Vass Bednar is executive director of the Master of Public Policy in Digital Society program at McMaster University and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"1200\" id=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/modules.wearehearken.com\/financial-post\/embed\/9353\/share\" style=\"--height: 1200px; \" width=\"\"><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__share-group article-delimiter\" data-evt=\"beforeunload\" data-evt-typ=\"page_scroll\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Share this article in your social network<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"article-content__ad-group\">\n<div class=\"ad__section-border ad__section-border--category visually-hidden\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment6472313534734796980834498999484416\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment6472313534734796980834498999484416\">Advertisement <\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-acceptable\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-acceptable=\"\" data-ad-loc=\"1\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-acceptable\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<footer aria-label=\"Article Comments\" class=\"article-footer\">\n<section class=\"comments__section\" data-aqa=\"viafoura-comments\" id=\"comments\">\n<h3 class=\"widget-title comments-anchor\" id=\"comments-area\">Comments<\/h3>\n<p class=\"comments__section-disclaimer\"> Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications\u2014you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>Why the App Store and Google Play must be subject to antitrust laws<\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>2022-12-06 12:00:20<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This section is Presented This section was produced by the editorial department. 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