Publisher:
Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg
The two-sided` markets operated by online platforms generate a lot of data about the players active on these markets. Such data is not only useful for the platforms, but also for other businesses to understand market dynamics, make better business...
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ZBW - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft, Standort Kiel
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The two-sided` markets operated by online platforms generate a lot of data about the players active on these markets. Such data is not only useful for the platforms, but also for other businesses to understand market dynamics, make better business decisions, or develop new products and innovate. The access to such data depends however on the terms and conditions set by online platforms. Decisions by online platforms on the scope and scale of data sharing have far-reaching effects on their business users and other players within the platform data ecosystem, and may help them succeed or put them at a disadvantage. This analytical paper investigates the state of the art of data sharing by digital platforms with third parties. The analysis covers three sectors of the platform economy: e-commerce, online tourism services and app stores. It is based on a detailed research of secondary sources, 61 interview and 15 platform-specific case studies that include Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, Google Play, Apple App Store, Booking.com and others. Specifically, the paper was designed to answer the following questions: What data, collected and held by platforms, is important for their business users and other businesses active in their respective sectors? What kinds of data do platforms provide/open for each type of identified users? How and under what arrangements? What types of data, important to different users, do platforms refuse to share and on what grounds? How indispensable is this data? What are the incentives and constraints for platforms to share data? What are the possible solutions to address platform refusals to share data important to other users?
