Behavioural study on the transparency of online platforms : executive summary

With 360 million Europeans using the internet daily to work, study, shop or stay connected, Europe needs a quality Digital Single Market. The success of the Digital Single Market ultimately depends on the confidence and trust of Europeans. As the use of online platforms has reached unprecedented levels, the potential of online platforms to generate economic growth as drivers of innovation remains undisputed. The growing importance of online platforms and its expansion into new areas of the economy has given rise to new challenges. The overall purpose of this Behavioural Study on the Transparency of Online Platforms is to understand the impact of enhanced transparency on consumer trust and behaviour in searching and selecting goods and services on online platforms in three specific areas: Area #1: The general criteria used by platform operators to decide which items are shown to users, in which order, and at what level of saliency, including the disclosure of ownership or contractual relationships that may influence these criteria Area #2: The identity and the legal status of the contracting parties involved in transactions enabled or facilitated by the platforms (e.g. whether the consumer would be entering a contract with the platform provider or some other retailer or service provider and whether that person is acting as a trader within the meaning of EU consumer law or not). Area #3: The quality controls established by platform operators (or lack thereof) on user review, rating and endorsement systems, e.g. verification of origin and authenticity, incentives linked to entries, screening / censorship, right to rebuttal of affected parties, etc.