Subscription traps, shopping AI agents and exorbitant ticket prices: The European Commission wants to overhaul consumer protection on the Internet. What's in the proposals for more consumer rights?
According to the wishes of the European Commission, consumers should have more rights on the Internet in the future.
Brussels. According to the EU Commission, consumers should be able to cancel subscriptions on the Internet more easily in the future. In addition, the Brussels authority wants to strengthen consumer rights when selling tickets, online shopping or playing computer games and take action against tricks from companies, as can be seen from a comprehensive legislative proposal.
When presenting the Digital Fairness Act (DFA), the responsible EU Commissioner, Michael McGrath, spoke of the most important new regulation of European consumer protection law in over 20 years. “We expect these measures to bring EU consumers savings of up to 13.7 billion euros annually,” said the Irish politician.
Canceling should be as easy as closing
With the proposal, Brussels wants to protect consumers in particular from manipulation through so-called dark patterns. This refers to design elements that are intended to control the behavior of consumers in such a way that they lose track of things - and then inadvertently select options that benefit the provider.
When dismissing people, companies are no longer allowed to write sentences like: “We are sad that you are leaving us”. According to the EU Commission, terminating a contract should not be significantly more complicated than concluding it. A few clicks should be enough.
According to the proposal, tricks such as the invented scarcity of a product (“only 2 pieces available”) should also be banned in the future. When selling tickets for concerts, for example, the number of tickets at the starting price and maximum price would have to be stated. This is also intended to combat usury with dynamic pricing. This means prices that change depending on demand, time or available spaces.
Options for users against mechanisms on TikTok and Co.
According to the suggestions, anyone who uses social media should be able to individually switch off functions such as endless scrolling and automatic video playback. In doing so, the Commission is reacting to the mechanisms of some online giants, which are intended to keep users on their platforms for as long as possible.
However, these demands from the Brussels authorities to the tech industry are not entirely new. The EU Commission is already investigating TikTok and Instagram for possible violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Brussels internet watchdogs accuse the platforms of not doing enough to combat addictive mechanisms. In addition, a social media ban for children is being negotiated at EU level.
More child protection when gaming
In addition, the now proposed law should ban certain mechanisms for children in video games. Virtual currencies should be switched off by default for minors when gaming. The EU Commission also wants to ban so-called loot boxes.
These are paid random packages with a gambling character that unlock new weapons or characters. They should only be activated with the consent of parents or legal guardians. The EU Commission wants to give families an overview of what children spend money on.
EU Commission: When it comes to customer service, people have to respond
Anyone who has concluded a contract should always have the right to talk to a person about problems. The Commission wants to ban customer service that is controlled exclusively by artificial intelligence or other technology.
Consumers should retain all of their rights even if AI agents shop for them online. At the same time, according to the proposal, the rules should ensure that consumers have control over the actions of the AI agent. For example, they should be able to set a price limit. Companies should also be prohibited from offering certain products or discounts only for purchases via AI agents.
German publishers “horrified” by the proposal
In particular, the new regulations for companies with subscription models triggered strong reactions in Germany. The Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) and the Media Association of the Free Press (MVFP) had already sharply criticized the proposal before it was officially presented.
The proposals put a strain on the press's digital business with new information requirements and bans on successful subscription models. “We are horrified that the commission is once again not improving the journalistic and economic conditions of the free press, but is instead making it significantly worse,” the associations said.
Brussels wants to be able to investigate itself
The EU Commission is also proposing to be allowed to conduct investigations against companies that do not adhere to consumer protection rules. To date, enforcement of these rights has largely fallen to national authorities.
According to the proposal, the Commission should be able to impose fines in certain cross-border cases with particularly high levels of damage. A penalty of up to six percent of a company's global annual turnover should then be possible.
The European Parliament and the member states must now deal with the EU Commission's proposals. It could take months or even years until an agreement on the extensive legislative package is reached.
