Lebanon’s Bogus Consumer Protection Agency

Apparently, the consumer protection agency in Lebanon will expand five-folds by employing some fancy software to crack down on product piracy.

In Lebanon, the government’s understanding of consumer protection ( حماية المستهلك ) is quite literal: Protecting the consumer from flawed, potentially dangerous products. Which is fine, but the wider definition adopted everywhere else involves protecting the consumers from monopolies and high prices.

If you’re wondering why the product that you get from the U.S. for $99 sells for $400 in Lebanon, it’s because we still have an obsolete law that grants exclusivity of importing brands to large traders. This system effectively kills competition and drives prices upwards, and our so-called consumer protection agency doesn’t give a damn about it.