United Kingdom to hit Google and Facebook with tougher competition rules

The UK government on Friday said it will set up an antitrust unit to introduce and enforce a new code to govern the behaviour of platforms that currently dominate the market, such as Google and Facebook.

The new unit could be given powers to suspend, block and reverse decisions of tech giants, order them to take certain actions to achieve compliance with the code, and impose financial penalties for non-compliance.

The move is aimed to towards giving consumers more choice and control over their data, help small businesses thrive, and ensure new outlets are not forced out by their bigger rivals, the government said.