Access to justice by applications that function as consensual means of resolving consumer conflicts in the digital environment

Abstract

Amid the evolution and guidelines of networked services, consumer relations have begun to develop in electronic environments. From this perspective, as consumer relations are formed, and products/services are purchased or used, consumer demands are urged for a facilitated and effective resolution. It is in this context that platforms and apps are considered as out-of-court mechanisms of access to justice for consumers amid the advancement of the network society. Thus, the crux of the issue transits around the relationship between the possibility of resolving conflicts out-of-court, the need to develop applications for such purposes and the responsibility of regulatory agencies over this resolution. The aim is, therefore, to identify the digital mechanisms available to facilitate consumers' access to justice and to consider the accountability of regulatory agencies for consumer assistance. To this end, the methodological procedures used for such analysis consist of applied research, with a qualitative and hypothetical-deductive approach, and a descriptive objective. It is extremely necessary to encourage this perception because there are not enough alternatives for consumers to solve their claims, especially in pandemic contexts, when considering possible isolation and inoperability of consumer protection units of a face-to-face and direct nature. In view of this, we conclude that it is of paramount importance to promote the development of virtual alternative methods of conflict resolution as opposed to the traditional face-to-face ones.