In response to the theme of Consumers International’s World Consumer Rights Day 2017, "Building a digital world consumers can trust", which is meant to jointly safeguard the rights and interests of consumers, the Department of Consumer Protection, Executive Yuan (hereafter referred to as the DCP) has established that this year's activities will revolve around the notion that secure Internet transactions guarantee peace of mind for consumers.

The DCP has stated that establishing the theme of "secure Internet transactions, peace of mind for consumers", besides being closely connected to calls for such actions from the CI, it is evident that online transactions have become more popular in recent years. E-commerce admittedly has a certain attraction, but it involves problems that differ greatly from traditional business transactions. Business managers, government agencies and consumers all face new challenges when it comes to issues concerning the information that is disclosed, how fair a contract is, payment security, personal information protection, and consumer dispute resolution. Therefore, the DCP has recently begun to promote actively related important measures and announcements.

The DCP has integrated relevant information to set up a special web page targeting the theme "secure Internet transactions, peace of mind for consumers" in order to help the public more easily understand the focus of this year's consumer day events. In addition to introducing the connotations of the topic, the department has provided theme-related activity information, news, business information and other information channels. This will make it easier for consumers to acquire the information required for online transactions and take appropriate cyber security measures.

The DCP has stated that this activity is an annual event, and the department will continue to review relevant laws and hold related education and promotion activities in the future. Moreover, together with central authorities, industry associations, and consumer protection organizations, it will also continue coordinate actions and cooperate on issues related to online transactions with a view to building a network environment that will provide security and peace of mind to consumers.

Once again, the DCP reminds consumers that the people who are most capable of protecting consumers are consumers themselves. If they want to fully enjoy the experience of online transactions, they must avoid transaction related traps when they shop online. If a consumer dispute takes place, call the 1950 consumer service hotline to lodge an appeal with the local government consumer service center, or visit the Consumer Protection Committee website (cpc.ey.gov.tw) to lodge an appeal online so as to safeguard your rights and interests as a consumer.