EU to look into the use of big data by large Internet companies

The EU is examining whether the use of big data by large Internet companies, such as Google and Facebook, breaches antitrust rules. In an interview with Wall Street Journal, European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: ‘if a company’s use of data is so bad for competition that it outweighs the benefits, we may have to step in to restore a level playing field’. The commissioner will publish a preliminary report in the middle of the year and has already initiated a public questionnaire in September of last year.