Todd Davies
@todddavi.es
Competition Law PhD Candidate @ University College London
Working on a theory of the competitive process, polycrisis, private power, political economy, ecology and democracy. Previously a software engineer.
https://todddavi.es
🍉🌱
Working on a theory of the competitive process, polycrisis, private power, political economy, ecology and democracy. Previously a software engineer.
https://todddavi.es
🍉🌱
Pinned
Todd Davies
@todddavi.es
· Mar 21
Error Costs, Platform Regulation, and Democracy
Abstract. Competition law has long favoured an error-cost framework that advocates for non-intervention under the assumption that market power self-correct
doi.org
How can decisions about whether competition authorities should intervene against tech platforms have implications for democracy? 🗳️
@spencercohen.bsky.social and I tackle that question in a new paper published in Journal of Competition Law & Economics! 🧵
doi.org/10.1093/jocl... (OA)
@spencercohen.bsky.social and I tackle that question in a new paper published in Journal of Competition Law & Economics! 🧵
doi.org/10.1093/jocl... (OA)
Reposted by Todd Davies
In 1850 the weight of all the world's wild mammals equalled the weight of humans and our livestock
Today they are outweighed 1 to 20
Reconfiguring life on this planet to produce cheap meat and dairy
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Today they are outweighed 1 to 20
Reconfiguring life on this planet to produce cheap meat and dairy
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 28, 2025 at 11:53 AM
In 1850 the weight of all the world's wild mammals equalled the weight of humans and our livestock
Today they are outweighed 1 to 20
Reconfiguring life on this planet to produce cheap meat and dairy
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Today they are outweighed 1 to 20
Reconfiguring life on this planet to produce cheap meat and dairy
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Todd Davies
Big story from Sky news. It is a mistake to think the DSA alone is going to fix this. This requires more, including and most particularly enforcement of GDPR Art 9 news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Big story from Sky news. It is a mistake to think the DSA alone is going to fix this. This requires more, including and most particularly enforcement of GDPR Art 9 news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Reposted by Todd Davies
"The authoritarian populists target Verfassungsblog not only for what it does, but also for what it is: an open space dedicated to the serious and systematic pursuit of truth."
The AfD is asking questions about us and sending a message. No big surprise here. We are staying on course with our goal of providing constitutional expertise on the challenges democracy faces in Germany, the U.S., and elsewhere. Read more in our new editorial by MAX STEINBEIS buff.ly/eVxn5WT
Counting on You to Count on Us: The highly interesting question of how Verfassungsblog is financed
The highly interesting question of how Verfassungsblog is financed
verfassungsblog.de
November 3, 2025 at 1:17 PM
"The authoritarian populists target Verfassungsblog not only for what it does, but also for what it is: an open space dedicated to the serious and systematic pursuit of truth."
The dark side of "computational antitrust" is when companies use AI to stymie competition law. It appears that tools to help them do so are emerging, as I wrote about in the Kluwer Competition Blog today. 1/n
legalblogs.wolterskluwer.com/competition-...
legalblogs.wolterskluwer.com/competition-...
The Dark Side of Computational Antitrust: When AI is Used to Evade the Law
Given the creeping complexity of cases, expanding evidence bases, and the ever present threat (or reality) of budget cuts, competition authorities around the world are on the lookout for ways to strea...
legalblogs.wolterskluwer.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:21 AM
The dark side of "computational antitrust" is when companies use AI to stymie competition law. It appears that tools to help them do so are emerging, as I wrote about in the Kluwer Competition Blog today. 1/n
legalblogs.wolterskluwer.com/competition-...
legalblogs.wolterskluwer.com/competition-...
Reposted by Todd Davies
📣THREAD: It’s surprising to me that so many people were surprised to learn that Signal runs partly on AWS (something we can do because we use encryption to make sure no one but you–not AWS, not Signal, not anyone–can access your comms).
It’s also concerning. 1/
It’s also concerning. 1/
PSA: we're aware that Signal is down for some people. This appears to be related to a major AWS outage. Stand by.
October 27, 2025 at 10:38 AM
📣THREAD: It’s surprising to me that so many people were surprised to learn that Signal runs partly on AWS (something we can do because we use encryption to make sure no one but you–not AWS, not Signal, not anyone–can access your comms).
It’s also concerning. 1/
It’s also concerning. 1/
Reposted by Todd Davies
As the single most important news story this year, I can't wait to see the detailed and central coverage this will get in every media outlet we have
‘Change course now’: humanity has missed 1.5C climate target, says UN head
Exclusive: ‘Devastating consequences’ now inevitable but emissions cuts still vital, says António Guterres in sole interview before Cop30
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:00 AM
As the single most important news story this year, I can't wait to see the detailed and central coverage this will get in every media outlet we have
Reposted by Todd Davies
Doing things simpler may be a good idea. Deregulating may leave people behind and incentivise 27 different answers to replace the common one.
www.ft.com/content/adba...
www.ft.com/content/adba...
Developing countries at risk from EU’s simplification drive, UN warns
Bid by Brussels to cut red tape is too dominated by politics, top officials say
www.ft.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Doing things simpler may be a good idea. Deregulating may leave people behind and incentivise 27 different answers to replace the common one.
www.ft.com/content/adba...
www.ft.com/content/adba...
The biggest risk from generative AI isn't about super intelligence.
The risk is it creating believable but fabricated realities, which will eat away at our ability to collectively discover what is true.
The risk is it creating believable but fabricated realities, which will eat away at our ability to collectively discover what is true.
Yet again, we can't afford to let LLMs become a source of epistemic grounding for society.
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC
www.bbc.co.uk
October 26, 2025 at 9:33 AM
The biggest risk from generative AI isn't about super intelligence.
The risk is it creating believable but fabricated realities, which will eat away at our ability to collectively discover what is true.
The risk is it creating believable but fabricated realities, which will eat away at our ability to collectively discover what is true.
Reposted by Todd Davies
Code shouldn't be law - as @todddavi.es says, these platforms could just as easily have been coded differently - "No magic going on here" open.spotify.com/episode/7H8b...
October 25, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Code shouldn't be law - as @todddavi.es says, these platforms could just as easily have been coded differently - "No magic going on here" open.spotify.com/episode/7H8b...
Reposted by Todd Davies
"Now not only scientists, but also politicians, are beginning to see the possibility of dual use of bogs to achieve two goals of the European Union – improving resilience and slowing climate change."
We have an unlimited potential for bog restoration on the Eastern Flank.
#Defence #Biodiversity
We have an unlimited potential for bog restoration on the Eastern Flank.
#Defence #Biodiversity
Bogs on guard of Europe. New NATO weapon
Experiences from the war in Ukraine have shown that wetlands can be a valuable ally in the fight against Russia. Bogs create terrain impassable for hostile forces. At the same time they are an ally in...
defence24.com
October 2, 2025 at 1:41 PM
"Now not only scientists, but also politicians, are beginning to see the possibility of dual use of bogs to achieve two goals of the European Union – improving resilience and slowing climate change."
We have an unlimited potential for bog restoration on the Eastern Flank.
#Defence #Biodiversity
We have an unlimited potential for bog restoration on the Eastern Flank.
#Defence #Biodiversity
Reposted by Todd Davies
Tech companies are potentially as dangerous to western economic security as China, and governments are struggling in the same way to balance the potential economic upsides with the threats.
The British government is preparing to roll back on its pledge to make Big Tech companies pay for scams in its upcoming fraud strategy.
www.politico.eu/article/keir...
www.politico.eu/article/keir...
Banks furious as UK shies away from making Big Tech pay for fraud
Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged before the election to put tech giants on the hook for fraud.
www.politico.eu
October 24, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Tech companies are potentially as dangerous to western economic security as China, and governments are struggling in the same way to balance the potential economic upsides with the threats.
I was delighted to appear on the Shaping Competition in the Digital Age podcast recently, speaking about some recent work on generative AI and competition law.
The episode is here: open.spotify.com/episode/7H8b...
The paper it mostly draws from is here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/...
The episode is here: open.spotify.com/episode/7H8b...
The paper it mostly draws from is here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/...
Episode 4 - Todd Davies - Generative AI: Innovation or Infringement of Competition Law?
open.spotify.com
October 24, 2025 at 11:20 AM
I was delighted to appear on the Shaping Competition in the Digital Age podcast recently, speaking about some recent work on generative AI and competition law.
The episode is here: open.spotify.com/episode/7H8b...
The paper it mostly draws from is here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/...
The episode is here: open.spotify.com/episode/7H8b...
The paper it mostly draws from is here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/...
Is it possible to have smartphones digitally sign photos/videos that they take? I can't think of a reason why not (although editing afterwards might be a bit tricky).
This person is one hundred percent correct and it’s scary af. We will never “media literacy” our way out of this as a society. We are about to reap the whirlwind when it comes to misinformation, disinformation, and informational warfare.
October 23, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Is it possible to have smartphones digitally sign photos/videos that they take? I can't think of a reason why not (although editing afterwards might be a bit tricky).
Running a private equity firm in 2025 be like...
October 21, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Running a private equity firm in 2025 be like...
Reposted by Todd Davies
As we warned in an @openmarkets.bsky.social report earlier this year, our dependence on a handful of US tech giants for essential cloud infrastructure isn’t just a competition problem, it’s a serious threat to national security & societal stability.
How many more outages before we get the message?
How many more outages before we get the message?
there’s a major AWS outage going on right now that’s taken down Fortnite, Alexa, Snapchat, Perplexity, Roblox, and lots more of the internet. US-EAST-1 is down and impacting a lot of services that rely on AWS www.theverge.com/news/802486/...
Major AWS outage takes down Fortnite, Alexa, Snapchat, and more
A chunk of the internet has been taken offline.
www.theverge.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:31 AM
As we warned in an @openmarkets.bsky.social report earlier this year, our dependence on a handful of US tech giants for essential cloud infrastructure isn’t just a competition problem, it’s a serious threat to national security & societal stability.
How many more outages before we get the message?
How many more outages before we get the message?
Reposted by Todd Davies
As it happens, this is almost exactly the same as Nintendo’s annual revenue. Which seems like the right comparison- a successful producer of electronic toys. on.ft.com/4nMkP0B
October 15, 2025 at 3:01 PM
As it happens, this is almost exactly the same as Nintendo’s annual revenue. Which seems like the right comparison- a successful producer of electronic toys. on.ft.com/4nMkP0B
Excellent essay!
It rebuts Marxist pessimism about the anti-monopoly movement, highlights the importance of contesting Capital's control of economic production, and ties it all into the recent failures of the movement (particularly wrt. the recent anti-monopolisation case against Google).
It rebuts Marxist pessimism about the anti-monopoly movement, highlights the importance of contesting Capital's control of economic production, and ties it all into the recent failures of the movement (particularly wrt. the recent anti-monopolisation case against Google).
I have a new piece in @lpeblog.bsky.social
“Anti-monopolism as an Ideology of the Left”
responding to @gabrielwinant.bsky.social’s “provocation.”
lpeproject.org/blog/anti-mo...
“Anti-monopolism as an Ideology of the Left”
responding to @gabrielwinant.bsky.social’s “provocation.”
lpeproject.org/blog/anti-mo...
October 14, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Excellent essay!
It rebuts Marxist pessimism about the anti-monopoly movement, highlights the importance of contesting Capital's control of economic production, and ties it all into the recent failures of the movement (particularly wrt. the recent anti-monopolisation case against Google).
It rebuts Marxist pessimism about the anti-monopoly movement, highlights the importance of contesting Capital's control of economic production, and ties it all into the recent failures of the movement (particularly wrt. the recent anti-monopolisation case against Google).
Reposted by Todd Davies
Reposted by Todd Davies
Put differently...
October 14, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Put differently...
Reposted by Todd Davies
Anyone who claims that Silicon Valley would be better with more humanities education has to grapple with the fact that Peter Thiel was a philosophy major.
October 12, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Anyone who claims that Silicon Valley would be better with more humanities education has to grapple with the fact that Peter Thiel was a philosophy major.
Reposted by Todd Davies
Astonishing advance by the Greens, astonishing implosion of Labour. When will Starmer's government get the message that it is destroying its base with deeply unpopular, rightwing policies?
By chasing Reform, it legitimises the far right while delegitimising itself.
By chasing Reform, it legitimises the far right while delegitimising itself.
Latest poll puts Greens just two points behind Labour. When I said we weren't here to be disappointed in Labour but to replace them, I meant it.
Join us and let's make hope normal again.
join.greenparty.org.uk
Join us and let's make hope normal again.
join.greenparty.org.uk
October 9, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Astonishing advance by the Greens, astonishing implosion of Labour. When will Starmer's government get the message that it is destroying its base with deeply unpopular, rightwing policies?
By chasing Reform, it legitimises the far right while delegitimising itself.
By chasing Reform, it legitimises the far right while delegitimising itself.
I'm in ProMarket today arguing that the EU Commission has the legal and methodological tools to tackle excessive prices, but for primarily institutional reasons, hasn't been doing.
www.promarket.org/2025/10/08/t...
@promarket.bsky.social
www.promarket.org/2025/10/08/t...
@promarket.bsky.social
The European Commission Can and Must Act on Excessive Pricing - ProMarket
The European Commission has struggled to tackle excessive prices in Europe, despite evidence of how they arise in relation to market power. Aline Blankertz, Todd Davies, Justine Haekens, and Nicholas ...
www.promarket.org
October 9, 2025 at 1:34 PM
I'm in ProMarket today arguing that the EU Commission has the legal and methodological tools to tackle excessive prices, but for primarily institutional reasons, hasn't been doing.
www.promarket.org/2025/10/08/t...
@promarket.bsky.social
www.promarket.org/2025/10/08/t...
@promarket.bsky.social
Reposted by Todd Davies
2/"We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks that are controlled either by large American entrepreneurs or large Chinese companies, whose interests are not at all the survival or proper functioning of our democracies."
defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...
defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...
"Europeans, let's wake up!" — Defend Democracy
“We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.” President Macron on the occasion of German Unity Day, 3 October 2025.
defenddemocracy.eu
October 5, 2025 at 12:26 PM
2/"We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks that are controlled either by large American entrepreneurs or large Chinese companies, whose interests are not at all the survival or proper functioning of our democracies."
defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...
defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...
Reposted by Todd Davies
My thread* on authoritarianism in the legal academy, and its origins.
*These thoughts are my own and do not reflect the views of my current employer, who has already begun to accept precompliance.
*These thoughts are my own and do not reflect the views of my current employer, who has already begun to accept precompliance.
October 5, 2025 at 3:16 PM
My thread* on authoritarianism in the legal academy, and its origins.
*These thoughts are my own and do not reflect the views of my current employer, who has already begun to accept precompliance.
*These thoughts are my own and do not reflect the views of my current employer, who has already begun to accept precompliance.
Reposted by Todd Davies
I wish Peters Kyle and Mandelson had someone as smart and experienced as Tim Wu on their side when they were negotiating the "Tech Prosperity Deal" on.ft.com/47WmGLi
When it comes to tech, Britain must avoid becoming Nebraska
Silicon Valley’s investment may be welcome but the UK should not allow itself to be a data-centre farm
on.ft.com
September 23, 2025 at 6:35 AM
I wish Peters Kyle and Mandelson had someone as smart and experienced as Tim Wu on their side when they were negotiating the "Tech Prosperity Deal" on.ft.com/47WmGLi