Smartwatches, TVs and smart refrigerators: European Commission to evaluate competition in the IoT market

The European Commission launched a survey of the Internet of Things consumer sector in order to create antitrust regulations for the competition. The measures are mainly focused on the way equipment connected to the network behaves through remote control by smartphones and voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Alexa.

The equipment includes small smart home devices, which include refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, speakers and intelligent light systems, as well as wearables (smartwatches and fitness bracelets). Information will also be collected about the services available through intelligent equipment, such as music and video streaming and also control with voice assistants. All the knowledge that the Commission will receive through the survey will contribute to reinforcing competition laws in the sector, advanced in a statement.

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Significant growth in consumption of IoT products is expected in the coming years, becoming something common in the daily routines of European consumers. Imagine a smart refrigerator making your shopping list, sending it to your smart device, which orders from a store to deliver to your door, which in turn opens automatically with a word the vision shared by Margrethe Vestager , executive vice president for the competition, of the European Commission.

The possibilities seem endless, but access to large portions of user data seems to be the key to success in this sector, so we must ensure that manufacturers are not using their information control to distort competition or close the market. to other competitors, adds the commissioner.