Data collection and processing are at the core of rapidly growing business models, underpinning the activities of technology companies and acting as a source of market power. The key role played by data in the competitive dynamics of digital ecosystems has brought competition policy and data protection regulation closer together and raised important questions about the substantive relationship between these two branches of law. After identifying the specific ways in which data create and power digital ecosystems and examining the effects of digital privacy (or lack thereof) on consumer welfare, we compare the legal obligations imposed by competition policy and data protection regulation. We then map the interfaces between these two branches of law and critically assess the areas of substantive overlap between them. We show that while in the majority of situations there is an alignment of these two frameworks, opposite outcomes can sometimes be reached when competition and data protection rules are applied separately. We suggest that these two legal instruments should be considered as overlapping areas in a regulatory continuum to facilitate positive synergies and neutralize potential conflicts. We show that there is a significant scope for competition policy actors and institutions to substantially incorporate data protection considerations into their decisional practice and that this integration can inform and enhance the enforcement of competition law. We propose an integrated approach to more effectively regulate digital platform ecosystems, to support innovation, and to protect consumers and the competitive process.

中文翻译：

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监管数字生态系统：弥合竞争政策和数据保护之间的差距

数据收集和处理是快速发展的商业模式的核心，支撑着科技公司的活动并充当市场力量的来源。数据在数字生态系统的竞争动态中发挥的关键作用使竞争政策和数据保护法规更加紧密地结合在一起，并提出了关于这两个法律分支之间的实质性关系的重要问题。在确定了数据创建和驱动数字生态系统的具体方式并检查了数字隐私（或缺乏）对消费者福利的影响之后，我们比较了竞争政策和数据保护法规所规定的法律义务。然后，我们绘制了这两个法律分支之间的接口，并批判性地评估了它们之间的实质性重叠领域。我们表明，虽然在大多数情况下，这两个框架是一致的，但当分别应用竞争和数据保护规则时，有时会产生相反的结果。我们建议将这两个法律文书视为监管连续体中的重叠领域，以促进积极的协同作用并消除潜在的冲突。我们表明，竞争政策参与者和机构在很大程度上将数据保护考虑因素纳入其决策实践中，并且这种整合可以为竞争法的执行提供信息和加强。我们提出了一种综合方法来更有效地规范数字平台生态系统，支持创新，保护消费者和竞争过程。