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The App Economy

Making Sense of Platform Power in the Age of AI

By Konrad Kollnig

Published

Feb 1, 2026

Page count

192 pages

ISBN

978-1529247718

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Click to order from outside of North America, Canada and South America
Click to order from North America, Canada and South America
Apple and Google shape the digital world—but who holds them accountable? This book explores how their control over app ecosystems creates systemic risks and what the EU’s Digital Services Act means for the future of competition, privacy and regulation.

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Mobile apps have transformed how we live, work and connect – but at what cost?

This book examines the immense power Apple and Google wield over society, arising from their control of app stores as well as mobile operating systems and browsers. With the EU’s new Digital Services Act defining their influence as a potential “systemic risk,” Konrad Kollnig unpacks the implications for competition, privacy and regulation.

Offering a clear roadmap for scholars as well as policy-makers, this book not only reveals the hidden risks of app ecosystems but also outlines practical solutions for ensuring fairer digital markets.

Konrad Kollnig is Assistant Professor in Technology Law at Maastricht University.

Foreword

1. Introduction

2. The Legal Framework and Systemic Risks Under the DSA

3. App’s Impact on Existing Industries

4. Rights to Freedom of Business and Speech

5. Rights to Data Protection and Privacy and Rule of Law

6. Rights to Public Health, Personal Autonomy and Non-discrimination

7. Rights to Environmental Protection and Sustainability

8. Solutions

9. Appendix: Technical App Analysis and Challenges

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