Cutting-edge technology poses significant challenges to regulatory bodies and incumbent companies who find difficulty in keeping in step, says ACCC chairman Rod Sims.

Addressing the National Consumer Congress in Melbourne, Sims noted the challenges in regulating rogue online traders, sophisticated scam artists, and new retail practices like “subscription traps”.

He said the ACCC in 2017 will be moving beyond the “traditional” areas of consumer guarantees for more complex products such as motor vehicles and the provision of services by telecoms providers and airlines.