The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and Bitkom e.V. jointly organized a conference on the “Safer Internet Day” dedicated to the question of whether European consumer law guarantees fair conditions on the digital market. Under the title "Fit & fair by design - Does European consumer protection need an update?", the conference discussed whether European consumer law guarantees fair conditions on the digital market. The EU Commission had already carried out a consultation for a digital fairness fitness check to get to the bottom of this question.
Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for Consumer Protection, spoke out in favor of closing remaining protection gaps in EU consumer law. Lemke emphasized the need to close remaining protection gaps in order to create an effective legal framework that meets the requirements of digital markets. She referred to the results of a BMUV survey conducted by ConPolicy, which shows that many consumers perceive certain practices as manipulative and annoying, which they see as a need for regulation. Lemke welcomed the EU Commission's initiative to subject consumer law to a digital fitness check in order to adapt regulation to digital realities.
Ralf Wintergerst, Bitkom President, emphasized the importance of consumer trust in the digital economy for Germany's role in digitalization. He pointed out that consumer protection regulation in recent years has already reduced some practices such as dark patterns or data misuse. However, in light of new technological developments such as artificial intelligence, it is crucial to continuously review and adapt consumer law in order to ensure fair conditions on the market and allow individuals to operate safely and confidently in the digital world.
In order to strengthen consumer confidence in the digital market, it is important to make targeted use of the opportunities offered by digitalization and actively address risks. Consumer law must be continuously reviewed for its effectiveness, especially in light of new challenges such as misleading business models and technologies. The Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection (BMUV) is therefore committed to shaping a fair digital space and promoting the responsible use of technologies such as artificial intelligence. The digital association Bitkom is also committed to digital sovereignty and promotes digital participation and education through events such as the “Digitaltag” and initiatives such as the "Smart School" competition.
Source: Bitkom & BMUV