The Digital Transformation: Addressing Consumer Vulnerability

Navigating the issue of consumer protection in the digital era requires that a balance be found between a prosperous digital economy and the need for consumers to be protected. The proliferation of algorithms and AI-driven applications, the increasing importance of data as an economic asset, and the disproportionate role played by a small number of large companies all present opportunities for society while also giving rise to important digital consumer vulnerabilities. This expert panel discusses how digital consumer vulnerability can be regulated while ensuring that technology-enabled innovation can thrive.

This expert panel features:

• Keynote speaker: Dr Jennifer King,  Privacy and Data Policy Fellow at the Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence; former Director of Consumer Privacy at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law school, USA;
• Professor Bruno Liebhaberg, Director General of the Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE), Brussels, Belgium; 
• Dr Stephen Unger, Chair of the UK Chapter, International Institute of Communications, previously Chief Technology Officer of Ofcom and Vice-Chair of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications; and  
• Jeremy Godfrey, Chair of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in Ireland. 

This event is organised in collaboration with the Economic Regulators Network (ERN), a cross-sectoral group of economic regulators in Ireland. The ERN is composed of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), Central Bank of Ireland, National Transport Authority (NTA), Commission for Aviation Regulation, and Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).