Consumer protection in the age of social networks: A case study on unfair contract terms and privacy concerns.-The example of Facebook

The European union puts a high value on consumer protection. The rise of Social networking Site (SNS) has create the necessity to protect SNSs users against harms which could arise online. Therefore, it becomes interesting to ask whether consumers are protected in the context of social networks. In particular this work deals with the regulatory instruments used in consumer protection such as the information paradigm and the informed consent. These instruments are analyzed in the context of unfair terms in standard contracts and in relation to privacy issues arising in SNSs. The work founds that the mandatory disclosure of information as well as the consent requirement as a means to protect consumer are not always effective tools, in particular in the context of social networks. Some solution, related inter alia to behavioral sciences, are presented to overcome problems such as signing-without-reading, information overload and bounded rationality.