Neutrality and Competitiveness of Data Intermediaries under the DGA – S. Andrés Azcoitia & T. Bobev

PLAMADISO Talk by Santiago Andrés Azcoitia (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) and Tervel Bobev (KU Leuven CiTiP – imec) – 16 April 2026 || Organized by the Research Group "Digital Economy, Internet Ecosystem & Internet Policy" @Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society Title "Neutrality and Competitiveness of Data Intermediaries under the DGA: Reality Strikes Back" Abstract In this talk, we examine whether the Data Governance Act (DGA) regime on data intermediation services is adequate to achieve its intended purpose of fostering trust, neutrality, and sustainability in data sharing. We review the state of the art in data intermediation technologies in both industry and academia and discuss its interplay with the regulation. We identify friction points with existing data markets and anticipate challenges in emerging contexts, such as intermediaries delivering machine learning models or using confidential computing techniques. Finally, we explore potential amendments to, or interpretations of, the DGA required to promote a data intermediation model that is both economically viable and neutral. Check out the paper: Azcoitia, S. A., Palumbo, A., Papageorgiou, A., Bobev, T., & Konstantinidis, G. (2026). Neutrality and competitiveness of data intermediaries under the DGA: Reality strikes back. Computer Law & Security Review, 61, 106303. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...   Short Bios Santiago is an assistant professor and researcher in the field of data economics at the ICT Group of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and Regulatory & Strategy Consultant. Previous experience as Researcher at IMDEA Networks, as Principal at Axon Consulting, as Senior Manager at Deloitte, as Project Manager at Telefónica I+D. Tervel Bobev is a PhD researcher at the KU Leuven Centre for IT & IP Law – imec. His work focuses on legal automation, regulatory technology, and data sharing arrangements in cutting edge contexts, such as Industry 4.0 and common European data spaces. Tervel has previously been engaged with several Horizon Europe and Flemish national research projects focused on developing regulatory frameworks for novel digital environments. Prior to his work at KU Leuven CiTiP – imec, Tervel researched personal data protection in online web advertising at the University of Oslo's NRCCL. More about Santiago Andrés Azcoitia Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?... More about Tervel Bobev Website: https://www.law.kuleuven.be/citip/en/... Stay tuned for future events: https://plamadiso.weizenbaum-institut.de Follow us on X: https://x.com/JWI_Digi_Econ Follow us on LinkedIn:   / plamadiso   Find all PLAMADISO Talks in our playlist:    • Plamadiso Talks   The Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society: https://weizenbaum-institut.de/