Szabó Lívia: From Status to Position: Rethinking the Boundaries of Consumer Protection in the Age of Digital Transformation
2026/12
In the twenty-first century, we witness on a daily basis the rapid advance of digital transformation. The digital world, which increasingly permeates and transforms the relationships of everyday life, continuously gives rise to innovative opportunities and creates new market situations. Owing to new technologies and the expanding range of digital tools, fundamental changes can be observed in many areas of everyday life; purchasing habits, too, have changed profoundly compared with the era of classical consumer goods and traditional contractual arrangements. The range of modern technological achievements continues to expand, and increasingly complex expertise is required to understand the operation of a particular item of digital content or digital service and, at the same time, to assess its conformity. Although new technologies can create new opportunities, under an unchanged regulatory framework the possibilities for consumers—already in a weaker and more vulnerable position—to enforce their rights may be impaired.