Windsor Law Professor Dr. Muharem Kianieff Joins OECD Consumer Policy Panel as Delegate for Canada

Authored By: Charlie J.R. Martin (JD 28’), Research Assistant

Image: Dr. Muharem Kianieff

As digital technologies continue to reshape markets, consumer protection is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Issues once considered peripheral, such as data privacy, algorithmic influence, and social media governance, are increasingly central to how consumers interact with goods, services, and information. Unsurprisingly, these changes have allowed for bad actors to harm consumers. With 9/10 consumers having faced “dark commercial patterns,” this statistic shows the growing need for lawmakers and global actors to work together and prevent these harms. In a recent conversation, Dr. Muharem Kianieff shared insights from his work on the OECD Consumer Policy Expert Advisory Panel, offering a window into how international policymakers are grappling with these challenges.

Dr. Kianieff teaches and publishes in corporate and commercial law and is a member of LTEC Lab. He recently joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Consumer Policy Expert Advisory Panel as a delegate for Canada. He joins over 30 other country delegates who are policy experts and academics to come together and provide advice to the OECD.

Dr. Kianieff notes that his appointment as Canada’s delegate serves as a reminder that Canada has a voice on the global stage and that many countries are increasingly attentive to its policy direction. “I think a lot of countries will be interested in what a country like Canada has to say about some of these issues, particularly now…” he explains. He further emphasizes that Canada’s strong financial institutions and their positive international reputation will be among the key perspectives policymakers consider.

His selection as a delegate is a recognition of the years of experience and scholarship he brings in the area of consumer protection law. One example of this is reflected in his book Blockchain Technology and the Law: Opportunities and Risks, where Dr. Kianieff delves into the world of blockchain technology, and how the governments of today can implement already existing legal frameworks to protect consumers.

Dr. Kianieff identified three themes that have emerged in discussions at the OECD. First is sustainability. In this, there are discussions on the life cycle of products, their safety, and the right to repair rights for consumers. Second, is the effects of the digital economy on consumer protection. Here, concerns arise from cryptocurrencies and the implications it is having on consumers. Dr. Kianieff’s final point concerns the growing concern over privacy issues in the new world of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

All three of these issues relate in the online world. With algorithms designed to feed consumers information through their own behaviours, this raises serious concerns over consumers rights to autonomy and rights to privacy.Navigating this new world of emerging technologies that converge through multiple legal streams is undoubtedly hard for policy makers to try and fit these problems into existing legal rubrics; that is, statutes and regulations that have been around for more than 100 years and have remained unchanged.

Dr. Kianieff highlights the growing risk associated with retail electronic payments and blockchain technology on consumers. He notes that there needs to be more direct regulation and there appears to be more regulation emerging in countries like Australia.

In this growing world of online risk, Dr. Kianieff provides some pointers to help navigate the online world. He notes that people who engage in cryptocurrencies need to better educate themselves on what exactly they are purchasing. This lack of understanding creates two major consumer protection risks.

1. The first is direct fraud, including romance and friendship scams that exploit ignorance about how digital products function and disproportionately harm vulnerable individuals.

2. The second is securities-style fraud, where hype and fear of missing out are used to mask unclear or unsustainable business models.

Dr. Kianieff noted that securities law is among the most robust forms of consumer protection, precisely because capital markets demand heightened safeguards. He urges consumers to approach new technologies with caution, asking critical questions about how money is used, how

value is generated, and whether existing legal protections still apply. As he cautioned, novelty alone does not make a product better, education and informed skepticism remain essential tools for consumer self-protection.

To help consumers better protect themselves, Dr. Kianieff emphasized the importance of education and pointed to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC), which has played a key role in promoting financial literacy and educating the public on financial products, savings, and the risks associated with cryptocurrencies. He also highlighted FCAC’s regulatory role in ensuring federally regulated financial institutions meet their consumer protection obligations.

Dr. Kianieff further explained that consumer harm in digital markets is increasingly addressed through regulators and law enforcement, not just private disputes. Internationally, agencies such as the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, alongside annual cybercrime reporting by the FBI, demonstrate the growing recognition of digital consumer harm. In this context, international coordination through bodies like the OECD is critical to responding effectively to cross-border technological risks.

The OECD Consumer Policy Expert Advisory Panel is slated to meet sometime in 2026.