Abstract
Digital media corporations such as Alphabet—the parent company of Google—and Apple invade people’s privacy and personal data and make high profits through their operating systems such as Android and iOS. The research question of this article is the following: is it possible to prevent corporations from engaging in unfair and unlawful practices concerning personal data processing by making regulations regarding the laws of data protection and competition? We argue that the laws of data protection, such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and anti-trust laws in the EU, structure digital economies in such a way that while the corporations are held liable for the abuse of dominance in the related market, such laws do not affect protecting individuals’ privacy and personal data. A better solution would be to create an environment where individuals have a choice, and where they can negotiate the terms and conditions. This is possible by amending existing laws and designating new provisions that prevent invasive and compelling manners of the companies that users are exposed to in practice.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Muge Ucar
Muge Ucar is admitted to Ankara Bar Association and specializes in contract and intellectual property law. Altug Yalcintas is at Ankara University, Department of Politics and Economics. This article relies on the graduate studies of Muge Ucar at Ankara University. The authors thank Zehra Özkan Üner, Pınar Çağlayan Aksoy, Kathie Blythe, the editor of the Journal, and two anonymous referees for their helpful remarks. Usual disclaimer applies.
Altug Yalcintas
Muge Ucar is admitted to Ankara Bar Association and specializes in contract and intellectual property law. Altug Yalcintas is at Ankara University, Department of Politics and Economics. This article relies on the graduate studies of Muge Ucar at Ankara University. The authors thank Zehra Özkan Üner, Pınar Çağlayan Aksoy, Kathie Blythe, the editor of the Journal, and two anonymous referees for their helpful remarks. Usual disclaimer applies.