How to protect consumers in the digital era: An example of the online choice architecture

Abstract

The ongoing process of digitalisation has brought a number of new challenges to the existing regulatory frameworks for consumer protection. One of these major challenges is the phenomenon of the online choice architecture, which is used to push consumers to make specific economic decisions while acting as participants of the digital market. In the majority of cases, such pressures should not be allowed as they rely on consumers' vulnerability. This paper examines the phenomenon of online choice architecture and the fact that the existing consumer law framework does not provide adequate legal protection to the consumers from online choice architecture, calling for a consumer law reform that would enable better protection of consumers.

Keywords

• consumer law
• online choice architecture
• digital services act
• unfair commercial practices directive
• dark patterns