OFT seeks stronger powers to protect consumers online
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The Office of Fair Trading is consulting on further enforcement powers to help protect consumers online.
The aim of the consultation is to protect consumers and drive competition and economic growth in online markets.
The OFT says its consultation will look at improving enforcement through working with businesses and other enforcers as well as developing further enforcement capacity and focusing on areas where enforcement has the most impact.
The OFT will also look to promote business compliance by offering better guidance to firms, sharing intelligence and looking at industry-led solutions.
It will also consider ways of empowering consumers by explaining their rights and the benefits of transacting online, helping them become more internet-savvy, and providing them with the tools to fix problems they may encounter.
The strategy identifies potential measures to promote protection including clarifying the levels of protection available for consumer-to-consumer sales, working with agencies to reduce spam, developing low-cost solutions for checking non-compliant websites, and possible strengthening of payments systems for online purchases.
OFT director of strategy Noah Curthoys says: “This strategy will help drive competition and growth by using more focused methods to protect consumers and build trust.
“The OFT is seeking to facilitate industry-led solutions to emerging problems, respond effectively to rapid change, increase the capability and effectiveness of enforcement, and empower consumers. This will ensure the UK is one of the global leaders in online enforcement.”
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