DIGITAL ECONOMY TRANSFORMATION AND ANTI-MONOPOLY REGULATION

In the digital age, competition is changing, and economic participants are creating new markets where they aspire to monopolize. Products in these digital markets are evolving rapidly, which makes it difficult for antitrust authorities to analyze or react in a timely manner. The digitalization of the economy brings significant benefits, but it also comes with costs. Large companies have access to detailed information about consumer requirements, which makes the digital economy an integral part of everyday life. There are situations in which digital technologies influence the market power of products and can be used for anticompetitive practices, involving giants such as Google and Microsoft. Thus, the digital economy introduces new mechanisms of competition in a global world based on knowledge and innovation. Innovations and new technologies are crucial for the development of economies, having a major impact on businesses. Digitalization, similar to electrification and industrialization, brings significant changes, but also amplifies the digital divide. This gap, initially related to access to digital technologies, has expanded to include other factors affecting the distribution of socio-economic goods, highlighting inequalities in access to technology and information.