Controlling mergers in digital markets a challenge: CCI chief Ashok Gupta

'Merger reviews in technology markets need to be guided by case-specific economic evidence,' says Ashok Gupta.

Regulators have it tough when assessing mergers in a digital economy as large platforms can possibly collect complementary data to reinforce their market position, said Ashok Gupta, chairman of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), on Friday. 

“Since not all digital markets are alike, nor is all data, interventions in merger reviews in technology markets need to be guided by case-specific economic evidence of competition concerns,” he said at a conference by the Confederation of Indian Industry, calling data a crucial factor for economic power and for judging market power on the internet. 

Since the pandemic, the antitrust regulator has