Consumer Empowerment Strategy

Last week the government launched its Consumer Empowerment Strategy which examines ways of helping the most vulnerable and disadvantaged who may not otherwise benefit from rapid technological and social change.

The strategy document Better Choices: Better Deals was published by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Cabinet Office. At the same time, the Office of Fair Trading released a supporting document on Empowering Consumers of Public Services Through Choice-Tools (structured sources of information, discussion, and comparison that help consumers compare and choose between alternative service and product offerings).

Well there is a lot in these reports which will be off-topic for most readers here, but I thought I would highlight two matters.

Firstly, the intent to create a self-regulatory quality mark for web sites is outlined. This is targeted only at consumer feedback sites and comparison sites with the intention of promoting responsible businesses and to help consumers identify which online tools they can trust. It will be interesting to see if there are any minimum security and privacy criteria for sites to be awarded the quality mark. Perhaps the consumer reviews are honest, but what if it "loses" your personal data or gives you a dose of malware at the same time? The strategy also notes the need for targeted enforcement action against businesses that illegally and deliberately undermine the effectiveness of consumer feedback.

Secondly, the document also mentions a new web directory Brand-i launched by The Trading Standards Institute, and paid for by business partners, to allow consumers to identify if a web site is the official e-commerce store for that brand or how to report it if it is not. Very good intentions, but it seems unusual it doesn't have a .uk domain, and perhaps this site should be SSL-only, and be another candidate for an extended verification (EV) SSL certificate? After all, how will consumers know they can trust the source & information about the brands on their screens?