Unfair commercial practices in the online sphere – social media in focus

Abstract

This study will focus on the characteristics of the dissemination of commercial communication to compare online platforms with the offline communication environment as well as to identify possible anomalies of online communication, while highlighting the commercial benefits of the online communication space. Promotional activities undertaken by businesses which exploit specific features of online platforms may also in many cases be considered to be unfair commercial practices.

In this regard, the author examines the legal environment of unfair commercial practices. The aims of the study include examining unfair price/product comparison sites, hidden online advertising, influencer marketing, and falsely generated popularity metrics.