On 15 September 2016, the European Commission published its Preliminary Report on the e-commerce sector inquiry.
The report provides an overview of the prevailing market trends of e-commerce in goods and digital content, and the likely impact this will have on competition and consumer choice. While that is the focus of the report, the outcome of the inquiry – and any resulting change to the way the sector operates – will undoubtedly have an impact on online privacy, particularly as many e-commerce sites collect and retain personal data about their customers. Complying with data protection laws should therefore be high on the agenda.
Reed Smith has prepared a client alert that addresses the key provisional findings of the report. Please click here to read our briefing in full.