Draft Digital Fairness Act from the European Commission

The European Commission is preparing to implement the Digital Fairness Act, a comprehensive regulatory framework to protect consumers in online shopping and social media and to prevent manipulative practices.

The European Commission has drafted the Digital Fairness Act against practices that manipulate consumers in the digital world. According to a report by Wired, the draft regulation aims to ban dark pattern designs such as misleading alerts about stock running out, restrict Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing practices, and block personalized ads targeting children.

Within the scope of the package, social media influencers will be required to explicitly state their paid promotions, canceling digital subscriptions will be made easier, and users will be granted the right to communicate with real customer service representatives. Additionally, addictive features such as autoplaying videos or streak tracking systems found in apps like Strava and Duolingo can be turned off by users.

While EU Commissioner for Consumer Protection Michael McGrath described the new package as the most significant consumer reform in over two decades, it was stated that companies violating the rules could face fines of up to 6 percent of their global annual turnover.