De-control is a process of removing government regulations and controls from an industry or market. It is often used in the context of economic policy. There are several synonyms for de-control, including deregulation, liberalization, and privatization. Deregulation refers to the removal or reduction of government regulations. Liberalization involves opening up an industry or market to greater competition. Privatization refers to the transfer of ownership and control of state-owned enterprises to the private sector. All three terms are used to describe the same general process of reducing government intervention in the economy. They are often used interchangeably, but each has slightly different connotations depending on the context in which they are used.