Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – The EU will clamp down on influencer marketing and ban online features that trick Europeans under plans to overhaul the bloc’s consumer protection rules, according to documents seen by AFP on Monday. The European Union already has multiple laws covering data protection, artificial intelligence, and online content. But Brussels and campaigners argue there are gaps that leave consumers exposed to harmful digital practices. The new law, known as the “Digital Fairness Act” — due to be unveiled by consumer protection chief Michael McGrath on Wednesday — will fill those gaps, it says.
According to the draft documents, the EU will ban deceptive practices known as “dark patterns” — features designed to trick users into making choices preferred by a seller — and demand greater transparency over pricing. For example, online sellers must not make false claims about the availability or popularity of a product and should not suggest an item is popular and therefore scarce, one document that is still subject to revisions said. Companies and brands working with influencers also face stricter rules on how their products are promoted by requiring content creators to label videos and posts clearly as an “advertisement” or “commercial collaboration.”
Under the rules, the EU will forbid brands from asking influencers to encourage children to buy products or persuade their parents to buy items in commercial content. Video games will also be banned from offering minors “pay-to-win” or “pay-to-progress” features, and in-game virtual currencies will have to show the real-world value of the currency used to purchase them. Users should have the right to disable features like autoplay and notifications not related to their activity, one of the documents said.
And the EU will demand that platforms remind consumers when a free trial period ends with details about the end date and how much it will cost to continue. Brussels also wants users to know the full price of an online order before checkout, banning a practice known as “drip pricing” where fees are hidden until the end. Instead, online sellers must reveal “the maximum price a consumer may be required to pay for that ticket,” one document said.
© 2024 AFP
