In what appeared to be a reference to Facebook, Dr Coscelli also said there is 'real concern' about the impact which some firms have on the 'democratic process', because of their 'vulnerability to exploitation by bad-faith actors and their role as a vector for fake news and disinformation'. He claimed that big firms have 'fortified' their positions and often give 'little regard to data privacy considerations, fair and reasonable terms or wider harms', whilst being 'largely unconstrained' because of the absence of a competitive market. The head of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) made the remarks as he outlined the work of the new Digital Markets Unit, which was set up in April to oversee a planned new regulation regime for internet giants. In a major online speech on Thursday, Andrea Coscelli said a 'small number' of very large digital firms have become 'extremely powerful' and made it very difficult for potential rivals to challenge them. Web giants such as Facebook and Google risk damaging the democratic process and often have 'little regard' for users' privacy or the harm caused by their platforms, the boss of the UK's competition watchdog has said.

Harassment is not a game bully hunters