The Digital Fairness Act will strengthen protection and digital fairness for consumers, while ensuring a level playing field and simplifying rules for businesses in the EU. It will address specific challenges as well as harmful practices that consumers face online, such as deceptive or manipulative interface design, misleading marketing by social media influencers, addictive design of digital products and unfair personalisation practices, especially where consumer vulnerabilities are exploited for commercial purposes. Young people are an important consumer segment with specific consumption patterns and often act as early adopters of new technologies and digital products. The Digital Fairness Act will pay particular attention to the protection of minors online.
The public consultation will be open for 12 weeks, inviting citizens, public authorities and stakeholders to share their ideas on how to further strengthen EU consumer protection online.
Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, said: “We need to take further action to ensure a fair digital environment for all Europeans - one where rules are clear, simple and effectively enforced. We are calling on consumers, businesses and stakeholders to help us design a new Digital Fairness Act, by sharing the issues they face online and the most effective ways to address them.”
The findings of the Digital Fairness Fitness Check, published last year by the Commission, confirmed the importance of EU consumer protection laws but pointed to certain gaps and highlighted that consumers continue to face multiple problems online. The Digital Fairness Act will address these shortcomings. President von der Leyen tasked Commissioner McGrath with the development of a Digital Fairness Act in his mission letter.
Access the a public consultation and the call for evidence.