Had trouble with an online purchase or subscription lately? It’s an increasingly common phenomenon. According to the 2025 Consumer Conditions Scoreboard around 60% of us buy goods or services online, yet online shoppers are over 60% more likely to experience problems than those shopping offline. The European Commission’s newly proposed Digital Fairness Act will help ensure that whether you shop online or in a physical store, you will be guaranteed the same high level of consumer protection.
The Act tackles unfair commercial practices online, such as manipulative marketing tactics or hidden fees, that undermine our ability to make free and informed choices. For, while online shopping is convenient, it shouldn’t come at the expense of fairness. The Act will protect consumers of all ages shopping and browsing for goods or services online. It will also mean fairer competition for businesses, which are expecting to save EU consumers up to €13.7 billion a year.
How will the Digital Fairness Act achieve a digital level-playing field?
It will introduce:
- a ban on manipulative marketing tactics (so-called “dark patterns”) such as fake claims that a product is almost sold out that pressure us into buying things we would not buy otherwise
- clear and transparent pricing. In virtual queues, companies will have to show the current price in real time and the highest possible price.
- fairness by design, with the option for us to turn off addictive design features that encourage excessive or compulsive spending, such as persistent prompts
- clear disclosure of influencer marketing, requiring influencers to be transparent about commercial content
- a restriction on unfair personalised ads and prices that target minors
- digital contracts and subscriptions that are easier to cancel and an end to unwanted automatic renewals and free trials turning into subscription traps.
The Digital Fairness Act proposal will also simplify the application of the Consumer Rights Directive online. For instance, by introducing simpler pre-contractual information requirements for repeat in-app purchases and clearer rules on how consumers can cancel digital media subscriptions within the withdrawal period.
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