Developing a long-term policy agenda for users in the digital environment

 

One of the novelties of i2010 was to introduce a strong focus on the user through the pillar on inclusion, better public services and quality of life. However, in the meantime new services and applications have been emerging and their take up is reaching mass-market level. The explosion of user-created content has added a new dimension to the role of users in the information society. Policy needs to keep up with the changing context.

 

Following the i2010 mid-term review and its set of proposed short-term actions, such as the eYouGuide on users' rights and obligations in the digital environment, launched in May 2009*, developments in this field require further, longer-term reflection.

 

*eYouGuide to your rights online

The European Commission has launched the eYouGuide, a new online tool giving practical advice on the "digital rights" consumers have under EU law.

 

This guide addresses consumer issues, for example: the rights towards your broadband provider, shopping on the web, downloading music, as well as protecting your personal data online and on social networking sites. See the guide:

Press release: Commission wants consumers to surf the web without borders (05/05/2009)

 

User-created content and participative information society

The report will analyse the developments in the field of user-created content, to assess their economic, social, technical and legal implications, and consider how these affect EU policies on ICT and media. The study should identify the drivers of and obstacles to the development of user-created content and the challenges to it, with the view to ensuring that it contributes to creation, innovation and a more participative Information Society in Europe. More information

 

See also:

• The Commission's review of the consumer protection rules ("consumer acquis"). The Green Paper of early 2007 opened a discussion on whether the rules need to be adapted to the digital environment, although it did not address the whole service segment of the market for ICT services.

• A working paper on the user and consumer perspective in the context of convergence , discussed in the i2010 High Level Group, identifies the gaps related to the protection of users in the digital environment and reviews options for policy response.

• The European Parliament resolution on consumer confidence in the digital environment deals with the very broad issue of confidence when using ICTs for e-commerce, information services, digital communication and entertainment, making a number of policy recommendations.