Many Consumers Encounter Problems With Online Platforms. For example, they may only be able to contact a chatbot. Because many users are unawware of their rights, regulator ACM is launching an information campaign this week.
Two-Thirds of Consumers Regularly Encounter Problems When Using Online Platforms, Accordination to Research by The Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM).
For example, users may only be able to contact a chatbot, while the law requests that there always be a human point of contact. Other frequently mentioned complaints include misleading algorithms that determine what users see and the blocking of accounts or content without explanation.
In Addition to Consumers, Business Users also have problems with online platforms. For the research, the ACM Mapped the Experiences of Six Hundred Business Users and Eighteen Hundred Consumers.
“Many people and Companies Experience Problems on Platforms, but do not know that they can report them,” Says ACM Board Member Manon Leijten. “With the campaign that we are launching this week, we want to get that awareness.”
Blocking Accounts Without Explanation is not Allowed
In The Campaign, The ACM Focuses on the Problems With Illegal Content, the Blocking of Accounts and the Lack of Transparency About Paid Advertisements. Illegal content can include, for example, discrimination, prohibited products or images of child abuse.
“It must be easy to report this to the online platform,” the acm writes. “Platforms Must Respond in A Timely Manner and Clearly Explain What Happens with A Notification – A Standard Response is not Enough.”
Platforms may not block accounts or remove messages without explanation. Complaints about this must be handled in a timely manner. And Paid Advertisements That Are Always At The Top Of The Search Results Must Always Be Recognizable AS Advertisements.
The fact that only a chatbot as a point of contact is not sufficient is laid down in the digital services act (DSA). This law applies to large and small platforms, not only the well-known social media platforms such as facebook and ticktok. But Few Users Know About this European LegiLation, The ACM Notes. However, The ACM HAS Received Almost Seven Hundred Complaints Since It Came Into Effect At the Beginning Of 2024.