Explore every episode of the podcast Jammin'Digital

Tune in for an interview with  Natalie Harsdorf-Borsch, Director General at the Austrian Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde (BwB). Hear:

• About sector inquires the BwB is driving in digital markets under her leadership;
• Her take on the Digital Markets Act (DMA), EU legislation designed to tame the power of the largest digital platforms – the so-called "gatekeepers";
• About the BwB cooperation with other competition  and regulatory authorities, including the European Competition Network (ECN) Conference on the DMA; and
• About what Natalie expects the competition enforcement focus to turn to next in the digital space.

Tune in for an interview with  Cani Fernández,  the President of the Spanish Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (the CNMC).  Hear:

• Her insights into competition enforcement the CNMC is driving in digital markets under her leadership; 
• Her take on the Digital Markets Act (DMA), EU legislation designed to tame the power of the largest digital platforms – the so-called "gatekeepers".   
• About the CNMC's cooperation with other competition authorities, including the European Competition Network (ECN) Conference on the DMA; and
• About what fascinates Cani the most in the digital space.

Tune in for an interview with Prof. Rupprecht Podszun about the first of its kind case into Facebook where competition and privacy law collide. The antitrust case pursued by the German competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt, centres on alleged exploitative dominance abuse by amassing private user data in breach of EU privacy rules. Prof. Podszun, who says he “loves the case”, has been one of the lead observers and commentators of the twists and turns of the proceedings that have now reached the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU).
 
 Hear about:

• Which role is for competition vs data privacy rules in this case
• Theories of harm to competition, also as developed in appeal proceedings
• Why legal questions referred to the CJEU focus on privacy – and not competition law
• Far-reaching ripple-effects of the case on the digital policy discourse

Tune in for an interview with economics professor Lesley Chiou about her research on fake news dissemination on social media. The research examines dissemination of disinformation on health – and the spread of fake news about vaccination – on Facebook in particular.

Hear about:

• How people use social media for health information 
• How social media affects the way people go about their health 
• The role of advertising in the dissemination of fake news 
• 'Echo chamber' effect in Facebook anti-vaccine groups
• Insights on Covid-related fake news on social media 

This episode features an interview with Axel Voss - a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) who is one of the key drivers of the EU policy debate on Artificial Intelligence. 
 
MEP Voss tells Jammin'Digital about the European Parliament's legislative own-initiative report on a civil liability regime for Artificial Intelligence and the work on the report by the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (the so-called 'AIDA' committee). 
 
Tune in and learn: 

• What regulatory framework could enhance society’s trust in AI
• About the risk-based approach on liability for harm AI might cause
• Whether there is room for facial recognition applications in Europe
• Whether EU date rules are fit for novel technologies, including AI

In this episode, hear about the global reach of EU regulatory powers. Prof. Anu Bradford explains the concept of the far-reaching 'Brussels effect' that is created by global companies applying  EU rules not only in Europe, but around the globe; how businesses 'gravitate' towards EU regulatory standards that tend to be the most stringent in the world.

Tune in and learn:

• How the 'Brussels effect' applies in different regulatory areas, and how prominent it is in the digital sector, in particular
• Whether recently opened antitrust cases against digital giants in the US  imply potential 'Washington effect' aspirations 
• Whether an extensive regulatory reach is a desirable phenomenon
• Whether post-BREXIT, the UK will avoid the 'Brussels effect' or whether, indeed, it will now be a mere rule-taker

This episode features an interview with Dr Andrea Jelinek, Director of the Austrian Data Protection Authority and Chair of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) – an independent EU body that was set up to ensure consistent application of European privacy rules.

The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) it is turning three this May. The gdpr.eu refers to it as “the toughest privacy and security law in the world.” It is also privacy legislation that has the widest geographical reach worldwide: though it was drafted and passed by the EU, it imposes obligations onto organisations anywhere, so long as they target or collect data related to people in the EU. It also addresses transfers of personal data outside of Europe. Tune in for Dr Jelinek's take  on:

• Accomplishments in the European data protection in the last three years
• Transfers of personal data outside Europe - including to the UK, post-Brexit 
• Expectations on the new EU-US agenda for global changes 
• How is the EDPB positioning itself in the new digital regulatory framework 

In this episode, hear about the EU regulatory plans for online platforms and other digital players to tackle disinformation (aka 'fake news'). The podcast features an interview with Renate Nikolay, the Head of Cabinet of the European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova who is leading the Commission’s work in this respect.

The public debate about platform accountability for online content has escalated when several social media platforms deactivated Donald Trump’s accounts, in the aftermath of the riots at the Capitol Building. It has been questioned extensively how such company decisions can be reconciled with the freedom of speech. Tune in and learn:

• How platform accountability for false or misleading content and the freedom of speech can be reconciled in practice 
• How to ensure that contemplated regulatory measures are not misused as censorship 
• How the EU's plans to address disinformation interrelate to other recently announced EU proposals to tighten rules on platform accountability
• How the EU intends to ensure a coherent approach on countering disinformation across Europe
• What's R. Nikolay's personal take, based on her prior experience, on the geopolitical aspects of efforts to deal with disinformation
• What R. Nikolay expects from online platforms and other stakeholders in this policy debate

Tune in for an interview with Rima Alaily, Deputy General Counsel at Microsoft . Hear her views on: 

• Whether regulators are turning on big tech
• The emerging 'ecosystem' theory of harm in merger control of digital deals
• The largest Microsoft's acquisition ever:  video game publisher Activision Blizzard 

Tune in for an interview with Sarah Cardell, Interim Chief Executive at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Hear insights into:

• Post-Brexit CMA investigations into digital companies in parallel with the European Commission to ensure coverage of the UK 
• How has the CMA merger control practice evolved when looking at transactions in the digital space 
• How the dedicated Digital Markets Unit (DMU) has been integrated into the CMA's work; impact of the delay of the DMU legislative plans 

Tune in for an interview with Andreas Mundt, President of the German Bundeskartellamt (BKartA), and Chair of the International Competition Network, to hear about the BKartA’s competition enforcement in the digital space. Hear insights into:

•  What’s next on the BKartA’s agenda under the so-called “Section 19a GWB” against online platforms designated as being of “paramount importance” for competition
• Which role remains for the BKartA in taming market power online now that the EU is rolling out the Digital Markets Act
• How Andreas counters criticism that concurrent antitrust enforcement by different agencies may create fragmentation and undermine legal certainty
• Whether he expects the proposed “11 GWB Novelle” amendments to national law – akin to the unsuccessful EU attempt at creating “New Competition Tool” – to succeed in Germany

Tune in for an interview with Thibault Schrepel,  a blockchain expert appointed to the World Economic Forum and the World Bank,  author of  book “Blockchain + Antitrust” (2021) as well as author of the world's most downloaded antitrust articles in four subsequent years. 

Hear why he considers that:

• Antitrust in blockchain is like jazz music  – "pretty much dead"
• Blockchains can challenge today’s gatekeepers
• Competition authorities should start by scrutinising how blockchain can be used to collude in the non-virtual world

Tune in for an interview with Isabelle de Silva – until recently, President of the French Autorité de la concurrence – to hear her insights into competition enforcement work in digital markets pursued under her leadership; as well as her take on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) – the EU legislative proposal designed to tame the power of the largest digital platforms – the so-called "gatekeepers".  

Tune in for an interview with Alfonso Lamadrid de Pablo in the third episode of our series dedicated to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) - the EU legislative proposal designed to tame the power of large digital platforms - the so-called "gatekeepers".  Hear insights of Alfonso - who is a vocal commentator on the draft DMA  - about: 

• Weaknesses in the very legal basis the DMA is built on 
• The risk of fragmentation of EU competition law 
• “Fixes” co-legislators should consider to enable the DMA withstand  judicial scrutiny 

Tune in for an interview with MEP Stéphanie Yon-Courtin in the second episode of our series dedicated to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) - the EU legislative proposal designed to complement existing competition law, in attempt to tame the power of digital platforms - the so-called "gatekeepers".  Hear insights of MEP Yon-Courtin - who is the European Parliament ECON Committee's rapporteur on the DMA - about:

• The role of national competition authorities
• The interplay with traditional competition law
• Regulatory dialogue with third party stakeholders

Tune in for an interview with Philip Marsden in the first episode of our series dedicated to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) - the EU legislative proposal designed to complement existing competition law, in attempt to tame the power of digital platforms that, quoting the DMA itself, serve as a "gateway for business users to reach end users" - the so-called "gatekeepers".  Hear insights of Philip Marsden - who counts decades in various lead and advisory roles to competition enforcement and regulatory bodies as well as businesses - about why:

• He is a  proponents of 'running' with digital markets regulation
• Designation as a 'gatekeeper' should not be appealable
• Institutional design will be decisive for the DMA to succeed

And many other ideas and suggestions he has on "restoring balance to digital competition".