Realising-consumer-rights

And online tools like CF Lab’s recalledproducts.org safety warnings on
recalled products to be pulled together in one place and emailed, tweeted
or fed to consumers or intermediaries directly.
How far have the digital consumer trends and these powerful new tools
and services offered consumers new ways to realise the right to safety
This is a harder one to answer, as for most western consumers, legislation,
regulation and inspection have formed the backbone of a trusted system
of safe products and services. The trends and tools have complemented
this system of assurance by enabling messages to be spread quicker, or
repurposing data in accessible ways, or campaigning on safety issues
across the board.
Given the way technology outpaces regulation and legislation, consumers
may look to new intermediary services to wrest back control of data
tracking that will create a safer environment, hand in hand with the
minimal requirements of data protection legislation. The well-publicised
backlash from Instagram users after new owners Facebook proposed
changes to terms and conditions illustrates how digital consumers can use
social media tools to assert their rights. 55
5. The right to satisfaction of basic needs: to
have access to basic, essential goods and services:
adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care,
education, public utilities, water and sanitation
While not providing a complete answer to the resource challenges faced
by so many, plenty of the empowerment trends point to a new ways of
responding to managing and distributing increasingly scarce resources.
Easy group formation and devolved computing power have made it
much easier to trade tangible assets like money, goods or property,
including forms of exchange such as bartering, swapping and auctioning.
Examples include Zopa, or car sharing services such as liftshare. This
model of connecting individuals (with resources) with other individuals
(with needs) carries through to other situations, such as micro-financing
enterprises in parts of the developing world, or taking part in community
food initiatives co-ordinated online such as WholeShare.
55 http://bbc.in/1otOvKy
Consumer Futures 34