Freedom House be enforced in an arbitrary or opaque manner that compels companies and prominent businesspeople to serve the leadership’s political interests, granting the government greater control over the information space and access to sensitive data. For example, in April 2021, Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service opened an investigation into allegations that Google was “abusing its dominant market position in video hosting services” at a time when the government was also demanding that YouTube, a Google subsidiary, remove content posted by opposition activists. Chinese authorities have been among the most aggressive in addressing monopolistic practices and market abuses, though their interventions have raised concerns that the government is more interested in reining in these companies’ autonomy and influence over the economy, public debate, and information space than in protecting the rights of citizens. New competition rules issued in February 2021 signaled the regime’s unease with the rapid growth and consolidation of the country’s tech sector. The regulations primarily target Alibaba and Tencent, with a specific focus on their respective financial services Alipay and WeChat Pay. The measures ban price fixing, predatory pricing, and the use of algorithms to manipulate the market. Two months later in April 2021, regulators slapped a record $2.8 billion fine on Alibaba for using its algorithms and unfair access to data to further entrench its market position. Ant Group, an Alibaba affiliate and the parent company of Alipay, was also ordered to restructure into a financial holding company, putting it under stricter banking regulations. Alibaba was reportedly ordered to divest its media holdings, including stakes in the social media platform Weibo, due to the ruling Communist Party’s concern that the company’s influence over public opinion could rival its own. @freedomhouse The crackdown featured prominent signs of political motivation and direct pressure on business leaders. Alibaba founder Jack Ma had disappeared from public view for almost three months after contradicting senior government officials and criticizing regulators at an October 2020 conference. That November, a scheduled initial public offering for Ant Group was canceled, and an investigation into Alibaba’s “monopolistic practices” was announced in December. Ma resurfaced in an online video ceremony in which he recited regime talking points about public welfare and rural revitalization. Policies that ensure competition and limit concentrations of power among tech companies are crucial for ensuring a healthy democracy, but authoritarian states will continue to use such policies as a tool to reinforce their own unchecked authority. Chinese authorities have been among the most aggressive in addressing monopolistic practices and market abuses, though their interventions have raised concerns that the government is more interested in reining in these companies’ autonomy and influence. freedomhouse.org 21