Consumer Protection in an Age of Technological Transformation

This is a time of extraordinary change: technology is transforming interpersonal and business communication, including marketing and advertising to consumers. Products are evolving as a result of innovation. Even the way consumers are paying for goods and services is being revolutionised, as electronic payment systems serve up new and inventive ways to exchange money. Increasingly, people of all ages are using wireless phones and devices for communicating, for information gathering, and for entertainment- in all types of locations. And, as new wireless technologies are introduced, so too are new and expanded ways to get information and be entertained via your wireless phone or device. This book examines ways to adapt consumer protection strategies to ensure that all consumers, including the vulnerable, are equally well served. Applying existing policies and creating new ones is also looked at to address emerging challenges regarding new technologies and products that may be unfamiliar to consumers. This book also discusses how the ever-expanding number of marketing channels in the world-wide marketplace will be monitored for instances of deception of unfairness and finally, the collaboration with law enforcers from around the world will be examined to protect consumers in the global marketplace.

Preface; Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech-ade; Protecting Children from Adult Content on Wireless Devices; "Spam": An Overview of Issues Concerning Commercial Electronic Mail; Text & Multimedia Messaging: Emerging Issues for Congress; Spam Summit: The Next Generation of Threats & Solutions; Index