Business-to-consumer ecommerce has evolved dramatically since its birth in the late 1990s, putting consumers on centre stage. Consumer ratings and reviews not only shape the buying experiences of other consumers but also affect business reputation and product development. The line between businesses and consumers is further blurred by the financial opportunities opened to consumers to sell, rent, and perform tasks for other consumers through Internet platforms. Such online activity generates a wealth of data used to sketch rich consumer profiles which have become core to ecommerce business models but also brings risks, including privacy and security risks. Enhancing consumer trust remains a cornerstone for success in a dynamic and complex e-commerce marketplace. In March 2016, the OECD revised its Recommendation on Consumer Protection for E-commerce, modernising its approach to fair business practices, information disclosures, payment protections, unsafe products, dispute resolution, enforcement and education. The revisions built upon preparatory work that included specific policy guidance on mobile and online payments and intangible digital content products, released in 2014. Protecting digital consumers was a key theme at the June 2016 OECD Ministerial on the Digital Economy. |
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2016 Revised Recommendation on Consumer Protection in E-commerce (also available in French, Spanish, Czech and Japanese) 2014 Digital content products guidelines (also available in French) 2014 Mobile and online payments guidelines 2008 Online identity theft guidance 2007 Mobile commerce guidance (also available in French) 2006 Anti-spam toolkit (also available in French) 1999 E-commerce Recommendation (revised in 2016)
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Technological advances and market pressures have made telecommunications and ICT products and systems increasingly complex. Mobile providers are offering ever more sophisticated products and services. Though consumers take the full advantage of this developments they face problems of switching, fees, analysis of offers, etc. The OECD investigates how consumer policies could be ammended and encourages its member countries to take appropriate actions.
2017 Trust in Peer Platform Markets: Consumer survey findings
2016 Protecting Consumers In Peer Platform Markets
2015 Policy Resources related to Internet Governance
2013 Digital Content Products analysis
2012 Online and Mobile Payments Analysis (also available in French)
2012 Digital Content workshop report
2009 Strengthening Consumer Protection in the Internet Economy
2009 Online Identity Theft analysis
2008 Telecommunications: Assessment of Consumer issues
2007 Mobile commerce
2003 Consumers in the online Marketplace: the Guidelines Three Years Later (also available in French)
The development of Internet has facilitated the globalisation of markets and cross-border e-commerce but also taken Internet fraud to new levels. Consumers are at risk of identity theft, which threatens trust and undermines the growth of online commerce. The OECD has studied the issues and made recommendations to support work by governments to ensure that consumers are adequately protected from these threats.
2007 Recommendation on Cross-Border Co-operation in the Enforcement of Laws against Spam
2006 Report on the implementation of the 2003 Guidelines on Cross-border Fraud
2006 OECD Task force on spam: anti-spam toolkit of recommended policies and measures (also available in French)
2005 Consumer Information Campaigns Concerning Scams
2005 Implementation of the 2003 OECD Guidelines for Protecting Consumers from Fraud
2003 Protecting Consumers from Fraudulent and Deceptive Commercial Practices Across Borders
Illegal copying and unauthorised distribution of digital works has intensified in everyday consumer products such as audio CDs, DVDs, and e-books. Copyright holders wish to prevent any unauthorised use. Both international and national legal copyright instruments provide protection for copyrighted material and remedies against their circumvention.
2003 The importance of accurate and available WHOIS data (also available in French)
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