India’s meta-cooperation with Digital Consumer Protection Program

Consumer Affairs Minister Nidhi Khare said chat boxes will ensure seamless complaints and resolving complaints [File] |Photo source: Reuters

The Consumer Affairs Department announced a partnership with tech company Meta on Tuesday to launch a consumer awareness campaign called Become a competent consumer, aiming to enhance digital literacy and protection for online consumers.

The initiative, announced by Minister of Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi and Meta’s chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan, will operate under the government’s existing “Jago Grahak Jago” campaign framework, the official statement said.

“Consumer awareness is key to a sustainable and secure digital experience,” Josh said at the press conference, adding that the collaboration will extend consumer protection efforts in the sector to remote areas of the country.

The United Movement will focus on educating Indians about recognizing online threats and promoting better digital security habits, including the use of strong passwords, validating online information and reporting suspicious activity.

In the announcement, the minister also revealed a separate AI-powered project developed by IIT Mumbai, supported by Meta.

The program leverages Meta’s Llama 2 language model to create “Grahaknyay”, a consumer-centric chatbot designed to improve access to information about consumer rights and simplify the complaint application process.

Consumer Affairs Minister Nidhi Khare said the chat box will ensure that complaints and resolve complaints seamlessly.

“At META, we believe AI can help people protect themselves and get to know. By making AI more accessible, we want to raise awareness among consumers, simplify the rescue process, and provide people with the knowledge they need to make informed choices online,” Kaplan said.

The partnership is a work in which Indian consumer protection authorities continue to work to address emerging challenges in the digital market, including misleading advertising, unfair trade practices and consumer vulnerability in e-commerce transactions.