The neo-regulation of internet platforms in the United Kingdom

Schlesinger, P. (2022) The neo-regulation of internet platforms in the United Kingdom. Policy and Internet, 14(1), pp. 47-62. (doi: 10.1002/poi3.288)

Abstract

In 2020, a new platform-regulatory model was initiated in the United Kingdom. The main focus of this article is on the development of the Digital Regulators Cooperation Forum (DRCF), set up to regulate the continually changing challenges posed by major platforms. The British model has drawn on UK competition regulation, collegial governance of international banking, and international ‘agile’ regulation debates. The backdrop to this ‘neo-regulatory' development has been Brexit (the UK's withdrawal from the European Union). In late 2021, for the first time, the DRCF became a serious focus of parliamentary scrutiny, with recommendations for reform. Assessment of its effectiveness now largely awaits the enactment of statutory powers by the UK Parliament regarding first, ‘online harms’, and second, the use of pro-competitive regulation in digital markets. Whether the DRCF's model will have exemplary appeal beyond the United Kingdom is an open question.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Schlesinger, Professor Philip
• Authors: Schlesinger, P.
• College/School: College of Arts > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Journal Name: Policy and Internet
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1944-2866
• ISSN (Online): 1944-2866
• Published Online: 03 March 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Author
• First Published: First published in Policy and Internet 14(1): 47-62
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
303123		Centre of Excellence for Policy and Evidence in the Creative Industries (PEC)	Martin Kretschmer	Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)	AH/S001298/1	CREATe