Protection of users in the platform economy

A European perspective

This study contributes to the international project “Policy frameworks for digital platforms – Moving from openness to inclusion”, funded by IDRC and lead by ItforChange.

The research performed by our team will focus on the current gaps of protection affecting the participants in the platform economy. It will address this legal issue by investigating the power relationships between the platform and its users (both professional and not) and exposing the information asymmetries and economic imbalance via an empirical analysis of the platforms Terms and Privacy policies, in correlation with their business models.

The study will look at the European consumer protection and labour law relevant aspects through an examination of ride-sharing, gig work and accommodation platforms in Belgium, France and Italy.