Archive · 22 Aug 2025
India's Digital Competition Bill Faces Regulatory Overlap Concerns
India is working on a new law to make sure big tech companies play fair online.
This law, the Digital Competition Bill, is like a referee for the internet.
It wants companies to ask for your permission before using your data.
But, this new law might be a bit confusing because it has similar rules to another law about protecting your personal information.
Experts are worried that companies might have to follow too many rules, and users could get confused.
To fix this, the government needs to make sure the two laws work together so everyone understands the rules.
Parliamentarians are questioning the draft Digital Competition Bill of 2024.
The bill aims to regulate anti-competitive practices by large digital platforms.
The bill's consent provisions may overlap with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023.
Experts are concerned about regulatory duplication and conflicting interpretations.
Collaboration between ministries and the CCI is crucial for harmonization.
- Who
- Members of Parliament, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Competition Commission of India (CCI), and stakeholders in digital markets.
- What
- Concerns and discussions surrounding the draft Digital Competition Bill of 2024.
- When
- The discussions occurred during the Monsoon session in Parliament and in March 2024 with the Digital Competition Law Committee report.
- Where
- India; within Parliament and policy circles.
- Why
- To address potential anti-competitive practices by large digital platforms and ensure fair competition.
Concerns about Overlap
Views on Harmonization
Overlap of Consent Framework
Concerns about Overlap
Potential regulatory duplication and conflicting interpretations of consent requirements.
Views on Harmonization
The objectives of data protection and competition enforcement are different, aiming to complement each other.
- Bill Status
- Draft, awaiting comments from MeitY
- Primary Focus
- Curbing anti-competitive practices
- Inspired by
- EU's Digital Markets Act
- Proposed Authority
- Competition Commission of India (CCI)
- Key Issue
- Overlap with Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023
- Key Concern
- Regulatory duplication and conflicting interpretations.