German competition guardians Face to face with Google, Apple & Co.

Status: 23.06.2021 3:56 p.m.

The big tech companies from the USA are becoming more and more powerful all over the world. There are also new players from China. The Bundeskartellamt does not just want to accept market power.

From Sebastian Tittelbach, WDR

For a few months now, one hears an abbreviation more frequently in the office corridors of the Federal Cartel Office: GAFA. They are the first letters of the really big ones: Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. And Bundeskartellamt President Andreas Mundt has all of these in his sights. “We are talking about the most powerful companies in the world. We’re getting very strong companies in China – so this is by no means an American event, it’s a global trend.”

New rules have been in effect since the beginning of the year

German competition law changed at the beginning of the year. Since then, the cartel watchdogs have been able to take action against Internet companies more easily. And the 400-person authority from Bonn does not shy away from tech giants from overseas worth billions. “It’s not about throwing sand in the machine”says head of the authorities Mundt. “Our aim is simply to end anti-competitive behavior at these companies.”

Amazon already had to reorganize its marketplace under pressure from the Federal Cartel Office. Amazon has given the smaller retailers who offer their goods there more rights. The Federal Cartel Office is currently taking a look at Apple. “We know what kind of universe Apple maintains, and I personally see it that way that restrictions of competition are possible”, so Mundt. “And now let’s see how this process develops.”

The pandemic is leaving its mark

The corona pandemic did not leave the Federal Cartel Office completely without a trace. In 2020, the investigators only went out for a single search – for reasons of hygiene, the head of the authorities said: “We were out last summer, and we’re honestly looking forward to going back out now, if the numbers allow.”

Even without searches, the Bonn authorities found enough evidence to punish companies. She imposed 349 million euros in fines last year. Half a billion less than in 2019, but still well above the long-term average. Above all, steel and aluminum forges, manufacturers of street sewer castings, such as covers made of cast iron or concrete, and wholesalers of pesticides have to pay. Elsewhere, the cartel watchdogs were more flexible because of Corona: in the automotive industry, for example, they approved collaborations between companies so that the supply chains did not collapse completely in the pandemic. “Then other cooperations are possible between companies where you might have concerns outside of the pandemic, then say in the pandemic: The economic situation is such that you can and must cooperate”, explains the head of the Cartel Office, Mundt.

High hopes, more work

He has great expectations of the new competition register, which was launched in the spring. “The competition register is simply about registering companies that owe something. Violation of minimum wage et cetera.” Such companies can be banned from public tenders for three to five years.

The Bundeskartellamt expects more work on merger control in the current year. Because of the pandemic, there could be more company mergers. The cartel office will examine such mergers without any corona bonus, announces the head of the authorities Mundt. Because when companies merge, it is usually forever – but hopefully not the corona pandemic

Market power of Chinese companies Beijing takes on tech companies

Status: 23.06.2021 12:18 p.m.

Numerous large and valuable tech companies have emerged in China in recent years. The government did its best to promote the rise. In the meantime, however, the feel-good phase is over.

By Steffen Wurzel, ARD-Studio Shanghai A small coffee shop in Shanghai’s Jing’an business district. The shop is popular, a take-away coffee costs the equivalent of two euros, a bargain for this location. The fact that shopkeeper Wu Jialing is still worth it is because he can sell a lot of coffee within a short period of time. Customers pay by smartphone. You simply scan the QR code that is hanging next to the coffee machine. “Paying by app is incredibly fast,” says the shop owner. Serving the cash register, looking for change, washing your hands after contacting the cash register and cash – all of this is eliminated. Correspondingly more sales are possible.

Revolutionized dealing with money

The payment apps Alipay and WeChat-Pay have revolutionized the way money is handled in China within a few years. Instead of struggling with the mostly old-fashioned, complicated and sluggish state banks, most Chinese people now fully rely on the smartphone apps of the domestic fintech companies Ant and Tencent to handle their everyday financial transactions.

It is no longer just about cashless payments. The Alipay app can now also be used to take care of investments, insurance and old-age provision. That too weakens the role of the state banks. “In the area of ​​finance, China has developed from a very backward place to a global pioneer in terms of fintech,” explains Martin Chorzempa of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. Not only in the financial technology sector have new, powerful large corporations emerged in the country in recent years. There was also a start-up boom in other tech areas, financed partly by state and partly private venture capital.

Government rethinking corporate relationships

Whether online shopping, social media or delivery services: For years, companies such as Alibaba, Bytedance and Meituan have been able to rely on political and sometimes financial support from the government. But in the past few months the climate has changed, says Duncan Clark, head of the management consultancy BDA in the Chinese capital Beijing. “It seems that the government in China is rethinking its relationship with the big tech companies.”

Obviously, some of the big tech companies have grown too big too quickly for the communist leadership – and above all too powerful. The fact that cartel and supervisory authorities are taking action against the market power of large corporations such as Google, Amazon or Facebook is also true in Europe and the USA. But: “What makes the matter special in China are the outstanding position of the Communist Party and the tensions that exist again and again in China: Tensions between the large state corporations supervised by the CP on the one hand and the private sector on the other.” explains Clark.

Ant IPO stopped

These tensions became apparent in China over the past year. In several cases, the state and party leadership slowed down the emerging private companies. Ant, the parent company of the payment and financial services app Alipay, wanted to go public last November, for example. It would have been the largest IPO in world economic history. With him, the Chinese fintech company Ant would have collected around 30 billion euros. But two days before the equity debut in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the government surprisingly stopped the IPO. Ant does not meet certain regulations, it was announced. Further details: none. But in the following weeks it became clear that the cancellation of the Ant IPO probably came from the very top. China’s state and party leadership was apparently bothered by statements by Ant boss Ma Yun, alias Jack Ma, who said in a speech in Shanghai shortly before the planned IPO: “As far as the financial sector is concerned, we are still beginners in China. We do have Big banks – they are like big rivers. But what we mainly need are small lakes, ponds, streams and smaller rivers. ”

Open criticism crosses a red line

China’s financial system, previously dominated by large state banks, harbors risks, Ma criticized. That is unhealthy. A statement that many experts would endorse, but from the point of view of the communist leadership, the previously ubiquitous model manager had crossed a red line with his open criticism of the state banks.

The IPO of his fintech company Ant burst. Ma himself had to withdraw to a large extent from the public.

Several company directors resigned

“At first it was thought that this was all about Jack Ma because he was so open about himself, and about his company Ant,” says management consultant Clark, who has also written a book about the rise of Jack Ma. “But since then we have seen much more extensive crackdown by the authorities against large tech companies in China.”

Other prominent startup founders and tech billionaires resigned. For example, Zhang Yiming, the head of the TikTok parent company Bytedance, and Huang Zheng, who ran the emerging Chinese online shopping group Pinduoduo. The reasons for the resignations are unclear, but most industry observers believe government pressure played a role. “The Communist Party is profiting enormously from the consumption boom that all these tech companies have triggered in China,” Clark analyzes. “But this is not a one-way street. We see a certain double dependency between the CP and the tech companies: Both somehow need each other, but in the end the party says: ‘You need us more.'” It is becoming increasingly clear that China’s leadership is no longer allowing private tech companies to get away with as much as it has before. They too must submit to the Communist Party’s claim to leadership. Criticism will not be tolerated, however subtle it may be.

Lost 25 billion euros in one post

This was recently also experienced at the delivery service group Meituan, against which the antitrust authorities are investigating. Meituan boss Wang Xing posted a historical satirical text that is more than 1000 years old in early May. This text is about criticism of a former Chinese emperor. Some understood the post of the company boss and multi-billionaire as a hidden criticism of today’s rulers. The Meituan boss deleted the posted text, but Meituan’s stock market price plummeted by almost 15 percent, and the company lost around 25 billion euros in value in one fell swoop. The fact that Xing then donated around ten percent of his personal fortune, around 1.8 billion euros, to a charity is understood as an attempt at penance. “Many company bosses in China are currently examining how they can get rid of outstanding titles or even parts of their assets,” reports management consultant Clark. “It’s about behaving as inconspicuously as possible, no longer being the tallest tree in the forest. Because it is the first to be felled.”

Competition authority Antitrust Office targets Apple

As of: June 21, 2021 2:46 p.m.

The Federal Cartel Office is now also investigating Apple. Above all, the US group’s business conduct in the App Store wants to investigate. Similar proceedings are in progress against other large tech companies. The Federal Cartel Office initiates investigations against the technology group Apple. The authority wants to find out whether the US group with parts of its business a “cross-market importance” has in competition. Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt said: “We will now examine whether Apple has built a digital ecosystem across several markets around the iPhone with the proprietary iOS operating system.” After all, the US group also produces tablets, computers, headphones and watches and sells them at the same time “a range of device-related services and services”. The Group’s Services division includes the App Store, iCloud, technical support at AppleCare, the Apple Music music service, the range of games in front of Apple Arcade, the Apple TV + streaming service and other services.

EU sees unfair competition

During its investigation, the Cartel Office will also examine Apple’s technical and financial resources as well as access to data, according to Mundt. One focus of the investigation will be on the operation of the app store, as this enables the group in many cases to influence the business activities of third parties.

Apple’s app store system is already being investigated by the EU Commission, which accuses the group of unfair competition with other providers of music streaming services. Among other things, it is controversial that 15 to 30 percent of the digital revenues in the App Store go to Apple. “We look forward to discussing our approach with the Federal Cartel Office and engaging in an open dialogue about any concerns”it said in a response from Apple. The group is “proud to be an engine for innovation and jobs”. The iOS platform alone supports more than 250,000 workplaces in Germany.

Cartel office can intervene earlier

The background to the investigation is a reform of the Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB) in January. A central component is the modernization of abuse control. The supervisory authorities can now intervene earlier in the event of suspected violations by large digital corporations and prohibit anti-competitive practices.

This also makes it easier for the Cartel Office to take action against large digital companies that are important to competition across borders between different market areas. This has already had consequences: the last time the Bonn authority was against the online network Facebook and in May against the mail order company Amazon and against the internet company Google Investigation started.

According to the cartel office, an expansion of the investigation against Apple is imminent. The authority intends to “to take a closer look at Apple’s specific behavior in a possible further procedure”. The Office has received various complaints against potentially anti-competitive practices

BGH on Legal Tech When the software replaces the lawyer

Status: 06/17/2021 6:46 a.m.

Anyone who wants to draw up an individual contract goes to a lawyer. That’s how it was before. In the meantime, however, this can also be done online, without legal assistance. The BGH is now examining whether this is permissible. What are the sticking points?

By Kerstin Anabah and Pia Brandsch-Böhm

What is the specific case about?

The publisher Wolters Kluwer offers the legal document generator “Smartlaw”. With the help of the software, private individuals and companies can create and then purchase individual legal documents, such as rental agreements. To do this, customers have to answer 30 to 40 questions. The whole thing was “modeled on the conversation with the lawyer”, according to the original advertisement.

Wolters Kluwer is not admitted to the bar and is not licensed to provide legal services. The Hamburg Bar Association has therefore sued the publisher (Az. I ZR 113/20). She sees the Legal Tech offer as an anti-competitive violation of the Legal Services Act. It regulates who is allowed to provide legal services – for example lawyers or debt collection companies.

How have the courts decided so far?

The Cologne Regional Court gave the Bar Association in law. It saw in the contract generator a violation of the Legal Services Act. Wolters Kluwer appealed against this to the Cologne Higher Regional Court – with success. According to the Cologne Higher Regional Court, this is not a legal service, as there is no human (service) performance. The documents would be created by software. There is no customer contact because the customer operates the software himself. In addition, no legal examination of the individual case is necessary, since the program runs according to a fixed routine and a situation is only inserted into a given grid.

Have there already been judgments in similar cases?

As early as 2019, the Federal Court of Justice ruled on a legal aid program in the ruling on “kleineermiete.de”. At that time the question was whether a rental price calculator represents a collection or a legal service. With this online calculator, customers could see by entering their data whether they were paying too much rent and immediately defend themselves against it. For this purpose, the program directly commissioned the company behind it to enforce the rights. The BGH has declared this rental price calculator to be permissible.

How the first civil senate decides in the case of the contract generator is open. The industry for such offers is booming. The ruling is therefore likely to be another important step towards greater legal certainty.

Icons of Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple on mobile phones. Photo: VNA Washington has proposed a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15%, lower than that proposed by the Group of Top Industrialized Countries (G7), but higher than some other countries such as Ireland. But the UK is still concerned that this plan does not go far enough to tax giant technology corporations such as Amazon, Google and Facebook. In a recent statement, Mr. Sunak emphasized the importance of fair taxation for technology corporations and called on the US and G7 countries to discuss this issue next week. The meeting of G7 finance ministers is expected to take place from June 4-5. According to Mr. Sunak, companies like Facebook also want to solve this problem, which can bring certainty and stability to them. Besides, Mr. Sunak also mentioned that the UK is considering a separate online sales tax, when large multinational corporations, especially digital corporations, do not pay taxes in the right places, right place and this is not fair. In 2015, member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) agreed in principle to a plan to prevent multinational corporations from evading taxes by moving their headquarters to countries with low tax rates. . Despite years of negotiations, progress has been insignificant. However, discussions have been revived with the recent proposal of US President Joe Biden. Recently, the US government has proposed to the OECD a tax rate of at least 15% for multinational corporations. This is the first time the US has officially proposed a global minimum tax rate. France and Germany have voiced their support for the US proposal for a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15%, and expressed hope for an early breakthrough in negotiations on this issue.

The above proposal is one of several to address a shortcoming in the Voluntary Code of Practice on Misinformation released in 2018 and signed by Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Mozilla and TikTok. this switch. Google and other big tech firms will have to commit to limiting ‘ad embedding’. The EC wants platforms to tighten eligibility requirements and content review processes for programs to monetize content and share advertising revenue on its service to prevent the participation of competitors. posting content that is systematically considered disinformation. In contrast, ad technology companies must define the criteria used to place ads and apply measures to verify ad placement. The EC also wants companies to clearly and specifically label advertisements (related to politics or other areas, etc.), and distinguish them as paid content. The newly updated code also provides for the first time key performance indicators to allow authorities to verify that these companies are living up to their commitments. The EC will publish the updated Code of Conduct on May 26.

The global chip shortage has hit automakers hard, especially Ford, as it said it would have to cut production in half in the second quarter. In the latest move, auto industry groups have pressed the Biden administration to secure chip supplies for manufacturing plants. The new alliance will include a number of large chip companies such as AT&T, Cisco Systems, General Electric, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Verizon Communications. The group announced that it will resist government actions to support the industry, which is struggling in production because of the chip shortage problem. Tech companies like Apple or Microsoft are also affected by the situation, but much less severely than automakers. Last month, the iPhone maker said it could lose $3 to $4 billion in sales in the current quarter because of chip shortages. According to Reuters

Meituan is China’s largest food delivery app. (Photo: QZ) A big storm hit after Meituan founder and CEO Wang Xing posted a poem from the Tang Dynasty on social media last week. The article on the Fanfou website has since been deleted, but Meituan confirmed it contains the poem “The Book Burning Pit” by author Zhang Jie written more than 1,100 years ago to satirize Qin Shi Huang. According to historical records, Qin Shi Huang quelled dissent in the country by digging huge holes, burning books not approved by the government, and burying scholars to prevent people from condemning him. Some comments on social media suggested that Wang may have posted the poem to implicitly criticize the Chinese government, which is holding back the country’s largest technology firms. Others compared the post to Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s speech last year, when he smacked China’s central banks and financial regulators for using outdated methods. Jack Ma’s speech seems to have angered the authorities. Ant Group’s historic IPO was also suspended at the last minute. Meituan and many other “big players” such as Alibaba and Tencent have been fined or investigated and monitored for several months now for violating monopoly or affecting consumer rights. The poem, which is more than 1,100 years old, further reveals the predicament that awaits companies like Meituan. Meituan stock fell 13% from May 6 to May 11, wiping out nearly $30 billion in market capitalization. Currently, the stock recovered slightly, gaining 2.5% at the close of the session on May 12. CEO Wang later posted an explanation, saying that the poem was about Meituan’s competitors. “The Qin Dynasty was afraid of scholars, but Liu Bang and Xiang Yu – the people who overthrew the Qin Dynasty – were not educated. That reminds me that the most dangerous enemies are not the people expected. Alibaba focused on JD.com and then Pinduoduo surpassed in terms of users. Similarly, Ele.me is seen as Meituan’s biggest competitor, but what really shocks the entire industry might be a certain business, business model that hasn’t caught our eye yet.” In April, Meituan and dozens of other companies were warned when Alibaba received a record $2.8 billion fine. Chinese authorities said Alibaba was fined for behaving like a monopolist. They also tell businesses that if they don’t address monopolistic behavior, they will be similarly punished. Later, China’s State Market Regulation Authority opened an antitrust investigation against Meituan for “exclusive trading arrangements”. The company was summoned by many agencies, including the Shanghai authorities, about the interests of customers. According to analysts Fitch Ratings, regulatory risks with China’s internet sector tend to escalate. The agency has not ruled out any fines with other companies after what happened to Alibaba. One netizen commented: “The poem is very suggestive. Wang Xing posted it at a critical period of the Big Tech crackdown. This is clearly inappropriate action. Wang may mean his rivals, but investors don’t think so. This is a very sensitive moment.” Du Lam (According to CNN)

Super smart city model on 6G infrastructure. Although 5G technology has not even been widely available to users, a fierce race for the 6th generation (also known as 6G) mobile network between the leading countries in technology has begun. head. “FORGET 5G”, US WANT TO GO 6G In theory, the 6G network could be 100 times faster than the maximum speed of 5G and is expected to provide many technological applications that have long been seen as science fiction. Such as real-time holograms, flying taxis, and the ability of the human body and brain to be connected to the Internet. Until now, the race to 6G is increasing, especially between the US and China. There are even more concerns: 6G is so important that it has become an arms race to some extent. In this tech race, the United States will likely hamper Huawei’s 6G ambitions just as it has proven it is capable of hurting Chinese tech firms in the past. 6G has clearly been on the minds of policymakers in both Washington and Beijing. Former President Donald Trump shared on Twitter in early 2019 that he wanted 6G “as soon as possible”. The development of 6G could give America the opportunity to regain its lost position in wireless technology. Vikrant Gandhi, Senior Director of Information and Communication Technology Frost & Sullivan said: “ The United States missed the opportunity to lead the 5G wireless technology, and this time they are determined to focus on 6G development. Competition for the 6G lead will be much fiercer than 5G. It is easy to see that Washington started with the “Telecommunications Industry Solutions Alliance” called ATIS and launched the Next G Alliance in October 2020 to “elevate North American leadership in technology. 6G “. The members of the alliance including tech giants like Apple Inc., AT&T Inc., Qualcomm Inc., Google and Samsung Electronics Co., of course, never had Huawei. According to Bloomberg, China also took the lead by launching a satellite in November last year to test the transmission of 6G. In addition, telecommunications equipment maker ZTE Corp has partnered with China Unicom Hong Kong to develop a new generation of technology; Huawei also has a 6G research center in Canada. However, in this tech race, the US may hamper Huawei’s 6G ambitions as the country has shown it is capable of detrimental to Chinese technology firms in the past. KOREA AND CHINA HAVE ADVANTAGES IN A 6G RACING Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies are two leading names in the deployment of BTS stations, which are important infrastructure of telecommunications networks. According to the Nikkei, Korea and China will have an advantage in the 6G technology race. Japan and the US will have difficulty if they want to catch up with these two countries on 6G. Currently, Samsung is leading in 5G copyright, holding 8.9% of the number of copyrights. Huawei came in second with 8.3%, Qualcomm with 7.4%, while Japan’s NTT Docomo came in sixth with 5.5%. South Korea is hoping to become the first to offer commercial 6G services, with corporations Samsung and LG setting up research centers and the government considering investing 976 billion won (18,687 billion dong) in development projects. Beijing also announced its 6G network research and development program last November, and Huawei launched a dedicated research team. According to Tetsuya Kawanishi, telecommunications expert from Waseda University (Japan), BTS stations are expected to change both quality and quantity to be compatible with the 6G network. Japan currently has about 600,000 BTS, but to properly meet the 6G infrastructure, 1 billion stations are needed, while the world will need 100 billion stations. Theoretically, a 6G network can reach more than terabits per second, 10 times faster than 5G. But in terms of coverage, the transmission distance of 6G base stations will be only 200 m or less, and using shorter wavelengths, smaller antennas. Therefore, lighting equipment, signs or passenger cars can also add BTS to increase the coverage. According to HIS Market market research company, three companies including Huawei, Ericsson (Sweden) and Nokia (Finland) account for 80% of the BTS market share and many companies are racing to develop smart stations. to lead the race in this segment. SUPER EXPLOSION 6G NETWORK CONNECTION Four main orientations on connection are being studied by countries around the world, including: smart connection, deep connection, heterogeneous connection and connecting everywhere. Most likely, the technologies of the future are considered to be included in the 6G network such as optical wireless communications, quantum communications, unmanned aerial vehicles, low-rise satellites … Moreover, artificial intelligence and big data analytics are also included in the 6G network support to ensure network quality goals. Most likely, the technologies of the future are considered to be included in the 6G network such as optical wireless communications, quantum communications, unmanned aerial vehicles, low-rise satellites … Since then, many super smart applications based on 6G platforms such as: smart home will be widely deployed when smart devices are able to connect and control remotely; Intelligent traffic with control systems, autonomous vehicles, flying taxis; Smart city is built on environmental monitoring systems, optimal energy control systems to improve people’s living standards. Augmented reality technology also requires a 6G network. In addition to the objects being 3D simulated and controlled by artificial intelligence, the user experience will be supported by all 5 senses of hearing, seeing, smell, taste, and touch through sensors. With high bandwidth speed, low latency, 6G network will ensure the quality of user experience. The wireless communication features of the 6G network allow the technology of tomorrow to be the brain and computer interface system (BCI) in everyday life. BCI takes signals from the brain and sends them to digital devices, analyzing and interpreting the signals into device control commands. Moreover, integrated satellite network will allow 6G network to have global mobile coverage; convert and upgrade conventional connections into smart ones; integrated power and information transmission, not only allowing information transmission but also wireless power transmission to charge devices.

According to the Bloomberg Chinese tech giants like Jack Ma’s Alibaba and Tencent Holdings operate similarly to America’s Facebook and Alphabet. They mine user data to refine digital services. Data strengths will lead to better products. As a result, large technology corporations become richer, more powerful and easily dominate the market. Over the years, the Chinese government has gone further than the rest of the world in tightening control of the Big Tech group. In March, Beijing publicly plans to “rule” platform companies that accumulate data to monopolize and swallow smaller competitors. Chinese authorities fined Alibaba $ 2.8 billion for abusing their dominant market position. Dozens of other major Internet companies also spent a month correcting their anti-competitive practices. China is tightening control of major tech corporations, including Alibaba and Ant Group of billionaire Jack Ma. Photo: Reuters. Risk of nationalization of data Beijing is pouring money into digital infrastructure, drafting new data usage laws, and building new data centers across the country. China’s goal is to be at the forefront of economic transformation in the coming decades. “It’s not a short-term initiative. China really sees data as an economic engine,” said Kendra Schaefer, Head of Digital Research at Trivium China. According to the China Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, China’s digital economy grows much faster than GDP in 2019. Market research firm IDC predicts China will hold about 1. / 3 of the world’s data in 2025, or about 48.6 zettabytes, 60% more than the US. The Chinese regime’s challenge is to get big tech companies to join. Those are the organizations that hold the most data in a country of 1.4 billion people. Companies like Alibaba and Tencent have benefited when China blocked foreign companies like Google and Facebook. Now, they have to share those benefits Professor Zhao Yanqing At a Chinese economic forum, professor Zhao Yanqing at Xiamen University pointed out that big tech companies have to nationalize data. “Companies like Alibaba and Tencent benefit when China blocks foreign platforms like Google and Facebook. Now, they have to share those benefits,” he added. However, most analysts say that is unlikely. Nationalization of data can hamper innovation. Beijing is in need of technological breakthroughs as the US works with its allies to prevent China from making new strides. “China needs highly competitive companies,” said Associate Professor Lizhi Liu at Georgetow University. “Nationalization of data will hurt technology companies. If data is taken away, they also lose their motivation and ability to innovate,” the expert added. Beijing’s difficult position In recent years, Chinese lawmakers have turned their attention to security. According to a law in 2017, authorities will have access to most personal data when necessary, even requiring foreign businesses to store data of Chinese customers in the country. Chinese leaders are now stepping up the use of big data to improve government services. Firefighters can use data to respond more quickly to calls. Hospital data will help track people down and prevent Covid-19 from spreading widely. Data lays the foundation for everything from smart cities to financial regulation to surveillance activities against dissidents. The Chinese authorities are also developing the digital yuan, competing with Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay. These two platforms now dominate the Chinese mobile payments market. Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay now dominate the Chinese mobile payments market. Photo: Reuters. The digital yuan will allow the People’s Bank of China to collect huge amounts of data about people’s transactions. Authorities have also made significant progress in the corporate social credit measurement system, from paying taxes, protecting the environment to product quality. The Chinese authorities insist that they will not force businesses to deliver data. “As for the use, development and exchange of data, we are still exploring the mechanisms,” said Hu Jianhua, deputy general manager of the Guizhou Big Data Development Administration. “Enterprises have ownership of the data. We encourage, but do not force them to, disclose the data,” he added. Data privacy is China’s “biggest obstacle” in dealing with the tech giants Expert Angela Zhang of the University of Hong Kong Another solution is that the government also invests in businesses. Last month, Bloomberg reported that China has proposed to set up a joint venture led by the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) with major technology corporations. The joint venture will monitor the data of hundreds of millions of users. Financial Times reports that billionaire Ma’s Ant Group declined the proposal. However, according to Bloomberg , a few years ago, when not agreeing to share data with the PBoC, Alibaba and Tencent faced many troubles. “Data privacy is China’s ‘biggest stumbling block’ in dealing with the tech giants. There is a conflict in protecting user privacy and fostering competition among these giants. Different backgrounds, “commented Angela Zhang, director of the China Law Center at the University of Hong Kong. China’s biggest companies are also looking to reduce damage from Beijing’s new rules. After Alibaba’s investigation is over, CEO Daniel Zhang said the company will continue to work with the data privacy regulator. Last month, Tencent’s Pony Ma proposed stricter rules for Internet businesses, including Tencent. He also has a “voluntary meeting” with the country’s antitrust agencies.

My name is Phung Quoc Huy Hoang, born in 1995 in Nha Trang, and currently live and work in Ho Chi Minh City. I have been pursuing printing 3D products for 5 years now. Previously, I studied restaurant management at the Industrial University, but decided to stop studying in year 2 because I felt this was not my passion. During my self-study, I knew a brother on social media who worked on clay. A monkey head statue made by this man based on the movie Planet of the Apes was so beautiful that I was constantly learning about clay making. Those were the first steps that brought me into the 3D printing industry. Since October 2018, I founded Craftech – a combination of craft (craft) and tech (technology) – with the desire to create printed products based on these elements. The 3D printing market in Vietnam started to emerge from 2017, and has grown quite strongly up to now. Before that, when making a machine part, the worker had to cut CNC with iron and steel. In terms of art, it also takes time to hire people to carve or make from clay. In addition, cost is one of the reasons 3D printing is increasingly popular. Before that, people often covered with earth or porous to create shape. Then comes the process of making silicone molds, pouring plastic and removing it like jelly. It is this mold making step that causes the cost to be high. With a total of 10 employees, we only perform some main stages such as mechanical design, art drawing, accounting … Processes such as CNC cutting, mold making … will be assigned to the unit. other for cost optimization. All drawing design operations will be done by computer simulation software. The 12 V printer consumes electricity about 3-4 million / month. When printing, the layers are overlapped and formatted under the control of the computer. These printers were bought by me at a local company with the price of over 10 million VND / 1 machine. The drawing is fed into the machine. I make some adjustments before printing starts. The material is melted before printing. Depending on the nozzle, the plastic wire is packed into rolls of different size. The ingredients are quite easy to buy in Vietnam. The glue part helps the sample stick to the 3D printing table. For large-sized products, we will assemble each part instead of printing the whole, because the printing size of the machine is only 40 cm2. Small printers also work in a similar way to large machines. This is a product of a small printer. We used to produce finished products with sizes as low as 2 cm. Some products are forced to print on a liquid machine because they require many small details that take weeks to complete. Not to mention, for products to achieve high perfection, manufacturers also need to coordinate many materials. Depending on the order, we will choose the appropriate production method. For example, direct printing would apply to event bookers requiring 10-20 products. With the requirements of mass production, quantity of tens of thousands, we have to make silicon molds or steel molds. This is a product we made for the dinosaur program organizer in Hai Phong. However, this project is manufactured from composite or silicon, not 3D printed. The biggest, most expensive 3D printed product we’ve ever made is a 5-meter bear delivered to a milk tea shop. In the workshop there are now more expensive projects, but made of silicon resin and molded composite, not 3D printing. A shipment is transported by us to customers in Phu Quoc. For bulky products, I have to pay a car rental fee. Up to now, the highest value project the company has ever implemented is a miniatures set at 1.8 billion dong. We do daily activities right at the factory. Currently the company is preparing projects for customers in the central region. I have surveyed but still have a lot of work in progress.

Super speed skateboard Appeared quite often in cartoons and theaters, however, in the comic book version, Conan rarely uses this treasure. Uncle Agasa created Conan’s super fast skateboard to help him chase down criminals. Designed to look like a normal skateboard, but the super powerful engine is built in so it can reach the speed of a race car in an emergency. The weak point of the skateboard is that it depends on solar energy, making it difficult to use at night. However, this disadvantage was overcome in the movie “The last wizard of the century” (1999) with improvements that can store energy for later use. Bubble Belts The use of the belt made by Professor Agasa is the ability to create a ball with the touch of a button, through which Conan can chase and control criminals. Many culprits were knocked down by the lightning kick from the detective without realizing what happened. Each cast only allows Conan 10 seconds to kick, so he must quickly catch the opportunity. Currently, the belt is designed with 3 options including ordinary ball, giant giant ball and fireworks ball, after a few seconds it will explode to create beautiful fireworks. Shoes increase strength According to Professor Agasa, the shoes use electricity and magnetic fields to stimulate Conan’s foot muscles allowing him to kick objects with tremendous force. This item is often combined with Conan with the ball to create lightning shots that can defeat heavy opponents. Before being equipped with a ball belt, Conan used these super powerful shoes to shoot into everything from buckets, helmets, baseball to cans. The shoes with shiny belts have made Conan a good pair of jewels, many times helped the kid detective group and friends out of danger. Anesthesia clock Disguised as a normal school watch, Conan’s watch actually hides a needle laced with anesthetic that can be shot at the person who needs to be lulled. The “victim” is mainly a zinc-bearded detective Mori, however there are times when Conan does not aim properly, so he shoots someone by mistake. After that, Conan will fake the voice of the sleeping person to solve the case, because normally, no one believes in a kid detective. Some of the other uses that he discovered during the use of anesthesia watches must be mentioned as neutralizing criminals, preventing others from committing crimes or protecting himself. Even Gin had been shot by Conan, but he responded by shooting himself in the hand to reduce the anesthetic effect of the drug. Eyeglasses The lens has been upgraded by Professor Agasa so Conan and Haibara can zoom in on distant targets and enhance visibility even in the dark. The glasses are used by Conan quite flexibly, sometimes tracking the super thief Kid, sometimes checking objects in the distance, other times looking for victims in the midst of a snowstorm. Depending on the comic or cartoon that Conan uses the left or right glasses, it is likely that Professor Agasa has upgraded both the glasses to make them easier to use. Crime tracking glasses Radar integrated in the glasses helps to locate the enemy’s coordinates within a radius of 20km. Those who are using the detective badge can also be tracked by these damn glasses. To activate the radar on the glass, the user can press a small button on the left-hand side. The glasses in some episodes also have a micro microphone that helps Conan hear secret conversations. Child detective badge Outwardly looking like an ordinary kid’s badge, the badges actually help Conan and the rest of the Detective Boys communicate from a distance, acting as a walkie-talkie. The badges also emit signaling that can be identified using crime tracking glasses. The tracking radar screen on the eyeglasses displays the child badges as dots. In the 18th film, these badges are upgraded by Professor Agasa so that the Child Detective Team can communicate at a long distance. Clock flashlight In addition to the anesthetic gun design, Conan’s wristwatch also incorporates a high-intensity flashlight capable of illuminating large areas in the dark. This helps the detective guy discover a suspicious clue without fear of ignoring anything. The collar changes the voice Professor Agasa designed this bracelet for Suichi Akai when he disguised as Subaru Okiya. Being disguised as someone else is not enough, Suichi knows that he also needs to change his voice so that the person facing him will not be suspicious. The necklace is cleverly designed to be hidden behind the shirt collar./.

ByteDance, Baidu and CTrip are committed to ensuring fair competition. Photo: Reuters More than 20 leading Chinese technology companies have publicly pledged to adhere to antitrust principles, after regulators asked them to pay attention to the record penalty for the “giant” e-commerce. Alibaba. In a series of separate statements published by the China Market Regulatory Authority on April 14-15, some of the country’s biggest tech brands – including ByteDance, Baidu and CTrip – pledged will “ensure fair competition”, “do not abuse a dominant market position” and “do not conduct unfair pricing practices”. The pledges come after regulators summoned 34 technology companies on April 13 and asked them to “rectify” any unfair non-competitive practices, and pay attention to in the case of Alibaba. Companies have one month for full reform, after conducting internal audits and adjusting practices that compromise fair competition. Ride-hailing service Didi, video streaming platforms Kuaishou and Bilibili, as well as e-commerce company JD.com were among the parties that have made a public commitment since that meeting. JD.com said it will not force “choose one of the two” behavior on its retailers – where merchants are required to work on only one platform, not on a competitor platform. . This is the policy that Alibaba used to apply. In its statement, Didi pledged that unless necessary for regular business operations, the company will not illegally collect or misuse customers’ personal information. Last weekend, Chinese regulators fined Alibaba up to $ 2.78 billion after a months-long investigation found the company abused its dominant position in the market. Alibaba and JD.com, along with games and messaging app giant Tencent, have greatly benefited from the increasingly technological lifestyles in China and the absence of major U.S. competitors. But as these platforms with hundreds of millions of regular users are growing, public opinion is increasingly concerned about the problem of user data that these companies collect over the long term. According to observers, China has put domestic technology companies on the target to limit the reach of private companies to the daily financial activities of its people. That move could curb their dominance.

Alibaba was fined $ 2.8 billion for alleged monopoly.

JD.com, Meituan and ByteDance lead China’s first group of Big Tech companies to commit to complying with the law after China Market Surveillance Agency (SAMR) asked them to “learn lessons” from Alibaba. Group Holding in Beijing’s latest antitrust investigation.

On April 14, 12 out of 34 tech companies released a public statement pledging to do business in compliance with the law after SAMR warned of Alibaba’s recent antitrust sanctions and conducted self-testing. next month.

Earlier, e-commerce giant Alibaba was fined a record $ 2.8 billion for forcing small businesses to sell exclusive products on the platform. Monopolistic behavior is understood as how businesses eliminate competition of competitors by forcing customers to choose “one of two”.

JD.com has made eight promises including “never taking measures to force sellers to choose either and never abusing a dominant market position or making any exclusive deals. “. The e-commerce group also said it will “never publish illegal advertisements and never sell products of substandard quality”.

Meituan’s delivery staff.

Meituan promised not to impose unreasonable measures forcing sellers to “choose one of the two” and would not abuse its market position to limit competition. In addition, the company is committed to providing full support to the Chinese regulatory authorities. “Once we find evidence of illegal conduct, we will report it to regulators in a timely manner and readily cooperate with any investigation,” Meituan said.

ByteDance, the owners of short video apps TikTok and Douyin, made 13 promises in its public statement. China’s most valuable unicorn company says it will “not illegally collect and misuse user data” and adhere to “minimum guidelines” in collecting data from users. E-commerce platform Pinduoduo said it will “proactively assume more social responsibility”, as well as comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

The rest of the companies are expected to announce their public commitment over the next two days

Beijing’s targeting of key Big Tech firms including Kuaishou, Bilibili and Didi Chuxing comes at a time when the Chinese government is resolutely using antitrust laws and other regulatory methods to halt. out-of-control expansion.

SAMR has accused major tech companies of misconduct such as forcing sellers to choose only one trading platform, abuse of market dominance, abuse of big data to unfair pricing. for certain customers, ignoring poor quality products, leaking customer data, and tax evasion.

“No one is allowed to cross the regulatory lines and not touch the legal red line,” SAMR said on Tuesday.

34 Internet service providers are on the spot, many of which are listed on US and Hong Kong exchanges. Companies were asked to “raise responsibility and give priority to the national interests”.

“Companies must absolutely avoid disordered capital expansion to ensure China’s economic and social security, you must absolutely avoid monopolies to ensure fair competition,” according to Beijing’s statement towards Internet service platforms.

SAMR says companies have one month to do a “self-check and self-repair”, after which the government will conduct follow-up and “severely punish” those companies that fail to address the misconduct.