Eight Takeaways From FTC Sharing Economy Workshop According to Free State Foundation
In comments submitted to the FTC after the agency's sharing economy workshop June 9 (see 1506090046">1506090046), the Free State Foundation “credited the sharing economy with fostering innovation, creating value, and providing cost saving options for consumers,” FSF Research Associate Michael…
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Horney wrote. Eight takeaways FSF gleaned from the workshop include: reputational feedback mechanisms have enabled bisymmetrical trust; bisymmetrical trust relationships balance privacy with transparency; self-regulation is not the same as no regulation; deregulate down rather than regulate up to address legitimate equity considerations; horizontal mergers are only a concern if regulations eliminate contestability; positive externalities and spillovers of the sharing economy were not discussed enough; and the sharing economy benefits low-income users more than high-income users. Horney said there wasn’t much discussion on how the FTC will or should regulate the sharing economy, which he found appropriate because “a deregulatory approach has been vital to the emergence and success of the sharing economy.”