This is IT for Change's new paper on "Breaking Up Big Tech: Separation of its Data, Cloud and Intelligence Layers"

http://datagovernance.org/files/research/Regulating_data__cloud_and_intelligence_-_Paper_9-21.pdf

Its main argument is that traditional competition frameworks are inadequate to addressing the rapidly building digital power concentration. These need to be combined with perspectives from technology governance that focus on structural separation of technology-functional layers (a la net neutrality, but also more) to form a composite new approach to digital regulation.

The paper presents a 'regulatory ideal-type' for structural separation of four key functional layers of digital value chains; data layer, cloud layer, intelligence layer and consumer-facing intelligent services layers.

Although building upon and tying together many policy/ regulation initiatives already taking place, for instance in the data layer, we understand that presented as a holistic new  regulatory approach to reining in the power of Big Tech, this is a rather new, and somewhat radical, departure, from existing thinking and approaches in this area.

Comments are very welcome.