Big tech regs: An upside for cloud customers?

Regulation of Internet giants has focused so far mostly on data privacy, where concerns are relatively well understood by lawmakers and the general public. At the same time, the threat of antitrust action is growing. Congressional hearings in the US with Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have begun, and governments in Europe, India and elsewhere are undertaking or considering similar probes. Regulatory discourse has centered on social media, search, digital advertising and e-commerce.

Yet there is another area for which increased pressure is likely: cloud computing services, which play an increasingly critical role in many industries. Two big players, Amazon and Google, are already being scrutinized by lawmakers. Greater regulatory attention seems inevitable.