The new interim president of Cade (Administrative Council for Economic Defense), Diogo Thomson de Andrade, said the agency plans to create a team dedicated to investigating big tech companies, focusing on anticompetitive practices by companies such as Apple, Google, Meta and Amazon. The measure is expected to move forward regardless of approval of the digital platforms bill currently under review in the Chamber of Deputies.
Currently, digital economy cases are analyzed by the unit responsible for all corporate conduct. The new structure, which would depend on negotiations with the Justice and Management ministries, could include six to eight specialists.
Drafted by the Lula government’s economic team, the bill gives Cade preventive powers to identify companies with strategic positions in digital markets and impose obligations against anticompetitive practices. Inspired by the European Union, the proposal faces opposition from the technology sector, which fears regulatory costs and impacts on innovation.
According to Thomson, traditional tools are already producing results, such as the recent agreement between Cade and Apple on payment alternatives, but more agile mechanisms are still needed. "Cade focuses on digital markets, even without the bill in place, but we still lack tools that would be more effective, timely and sufficient," he said.
