伦敦——英国计划建立一个新的监管机构来监管包括谷歌和Facebook在内的大型科技公司，以对抗它们的市场主导地位，并防止它们剥削消费者和小企业。
英国政府周五表示，将于明年成立“数字市场部门”，以实施一项新的行为准则，规范主导在线广告市场的科技巨头的行为。
定于4月推出的数字市场部门将监督针对科技公司的新监管制度，该制度旨在刺激更多竞争。
这些措施在奥巴马前经济顾问杰森·富尔曼(Jason Furman)的调查结果中有所预示，他受英国财政部委托对数字经济进行审查。
这是美国和欧洲政府在担心大型科技公司影响力过大的情况下，限制其权力的更广泛举措的一部分。欧盟(eu)本周公布了从科技公司手中夺取数据控制权的提议，并将于下月公布全面改革数字监管的细节，旨在防止在线监管者扼杀竞争。在美国，当局正在对谷歌提起反垄断诉讼，立法者提议解散大型科技公司。
英国数字部长奥利弗·道登(Oliver Dowden)表示，在线平台给社会带来了好处，“但在英国和海外，越来越多的人认为，权力集中在少数科技公司手中正在抑制该行业的增长，减少创新，并对依赖它们的人和企业产生负面影响。”
政府仍需就数字市场部门的运作方式进行咨询，并批准相关立法。
根据新法规，科技公司在如何使用消费者数据方面必须更加透明。他们必须让用户选择是否接收个性化广告，并且不得让客户更难使用竞争平台。
数字市场部门可能被授权暂停、阻止或推翻大型科技公司做出的任何决定，并命令它们采取某些行动来遵守该准则。如果企业不遵守规定，监管机构可能会对它们进行罚款，尽管最高罚款尚未明确。
谷歌表示，广告技术行业的竞争一直在加剧，并指出它为用户提供了管理和控制数据的工具。
该公司负责英国和爱尔兰的副总裁罗南·哈里斯(Ronan Harris)表示:“我们支持一种有益于人民、企业和社会的方法，我们期待与数字市场部门进行建设性的合作，以便每个人都能充分利用互联网。”
UK to launch new watchdog next year to police tech giants
LONDON -- Britain plans to create a new watchdog to police big tech companies including Google and Facebook to counter their market dominance and prevent them from exploiting consumers and small businesses.
The U.K. government said Friday that it's setting up a “Digital Markets Unit" next year to enforce a new code of conduct governing the behavior of tech giants that dominate the online advertising market.
The Digital Markets Unit, scheduled to launch in April, will oversee a new regulatory regime for tech companies that's aimed at spurring more competition.
The measures were foreshadowed in findings by former Obama economic adviser Jason Furman, who was commissioned by the U.K. Treasury to carry out a review of the digital economy.
It's part of a wider push by governments in the U.S. and Europe to constrain the power of big tech companies amid concern about their outsize influence. The European Union this week unveiled proposals to wrest control of data from tech companies and is set to release details next month of a sweeping overhaul of digital regulations aimed at preventing online gatekeepers from stifling competition. In the U.S., authorities are pursuing an antitrust case against Google and lawmakers have proposed breaking up big tech companies.
U.K. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said online platforms bring benefits to society, “but there is growing consensus in the U.K. and abroad that the concentration of power among a small number of tech companies is curtailing growth of the sector, reducing innovation and having negative impacts on the people and businesses that rely on them."
The government still needs to consult on how the digital markets unit will operate and approve legislation for it.
Under the new code, tech companies would have to be more transparent about how they use consumers’ data. They would have to let users choose whether to receive personalised advertising, and wouldn't be allowed to make it harder for customers to use rival platforms.
The Digital Markets Unit could be given the power to suspend, block or reverse any decisions made by big tech companies, and order them to take certain actions to comply with the code. If companies don't comply, the watchdog could fine them, though the maximum penalty hasn't yet been spelled out.
Google said competition in the ad tech industry has been increasing and noted it gives users tools to manage and control their data.
"We support an approach that benefits people, businesses and society and we look forward to working constructively with the Digital Markets Unit so that everyone can make the most of the internet,” said Ronan Harris, the company's vice president for U.K. and Ireland.
