Centralization is about Control, not Protocols (Position Paper)

TL;DR

This position paper argues that centralization in consumer applications is driven by control rather than protocols, and suggests regulatory approaches to promote competition and reduce monopolistic impacts.

Contribution

It highlights the distinction between control and protocols in centralization and proposes regulatory insights to address market concentration.

Findings

Centralization is primarily about control, not protocol standardization.

Regulatory experiences can inform strategies to foster competition.

Market dominance by few companies limits consumer choice.

Abstract

Many common ``consumer'' applications, i.e., applications widely used by non-technical users, are now provided by a very small number of companies, even if that set of companies differ across geographic regions, or rely on a very small number of implementations even if the applications are largely standards-based. While likely only a partial solution, we can draw on earlier regulatory experiences to facilitate competition or at least lessen the impact of the lack thereof.