“The UK Competition and Market’s Authority recently published a report on the consequences of the online platforms’ use of algorithms (‘sequences of instructions to perform a computation or solve a problem’) for consumer protection and for competition. This report builds on the CMA’s 2018 paper on pricing algorithms. The report starts by highlighting that the increasing sophistication of algorithms usually means decreasing transparency. The CMA’s report acknowledges the benefits of algorithms to consumers, such as the possibility to save consumers’ time by offering them individualized recommendations. Additionally, algorithms benefit consumers by increasing efficiency, effectiveness innovation and competition. However, the main goal of the report is to list (economic) harms caused to consumers as a result of algorithms …” (more)
[Madalena Narciso, Recent developments in European Consumer Law, 4 February]
First posted 2021-02-04 17:24:49
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