Consumer rights protection in a digital space: Problems and ways of their solution

Abstract

The paper is concerned with the analysis of problems faced by consumers purchasing goods, works, or services in virtual space. Thanks to the digital revolution, consumers have found themselves at the heart of world trade, and the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has forced them to switch almost completely to online shopping. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews the primary areas of improvement of Russian consumer protection legislation, taking into account the examples of best foreign practices. Findings The authors believe that the codification of consumer protection legislation, which may result in the preparation of Fundamental Principles of consumer protection legislation of the Russian Federation, is timely. They deem it expedient to create an online service for the pre-trial management of consumer disputes in Russia, the counterparts of which have been successfully used in many countries for more than 20 years. The research analyzed the provisions of Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 25-FZ of 29.07.2018 "Concerning the introduction of amendments to the Law of the Russian Federation "On consumer rights protection"", dealing with the determination of the legal status and responsibility of the owners of the aggregator of information about goods or services. Originality/value The authors concluded that consumers who interact with the owners of the aggregators are less protected than offline consumers, so they made a proposal to establish joint responsibility or solidary responsibility with the contractor (seller) for the owners of the aggregators, and provide consumers the possibility to choose the addressee of their claims themselves: the owner of the aggregator or the seller (contractor) directly.