From 15 to 17 June 2021, the OECD carried out an international conference on consumer policy – the Consumer Marketplace of the Future – with experts from governemnts, industry and civil society to celebrate 50 years of consumer policy at the OECD and the Committee on Consumer Policy. The conference covered a range of key issues in e-commerce and digital transactions in the light of consumer protection, such as the evolving area of consumer product safety, the role of online marketplaces in consumer protection or progress in cross-border enforcement co-operation.

In her contributions to the panel on ‘The Mobile and Hyper-Connected Consumer’, which was moderated by Stacy Feuer (Assistant Director for International Consumer Protection, US Federal Trade Commission), Wendehorst highlighted some key changes in the consumer marketplace. These developments pose serious challenges for legal instruments in the field, calling for an update of existing legislation and a comprehensive approach to, amongst others, data, AI, and the platform economy. Wendehorst put particular stress on the need to provide for strong intermediaries and technology to strengthen the position of consumers, and on substantive limits on data use. She further emphasized the importance of consumer education.

Find out more about the conference program as well as a recording of the conference at https://www.oecd.org/digital/consumer/conference-consumer-marketplace-of-the-future/.