As part of the European Commission’s work on digital consumer protection, we participated in the public consultation on the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act (DFA), aiming to complement existing digital regulations like the Digital Services Act.
We highlighted the critical need for non-regulatory measures such as clear guidance on digital fairness while emphasizing the importance of stronger enforcement of existing consumer protection rules by public authorities.
Our response focused on transparency improvements for monetisation mechanisms, including labelling of paid political content and demonetisation of disinformation, to protect consumers online.
We also highlighted the need for limiting harmful commercial practices such as “nagging” tactics that repeatedly pressure consumers to make specific choices and misleading urgency and scarcity claims like countdown timers that artificially create pressure despite clear limitations in availability.
Consumers should be empowered with greater control over addictive design features, enabling them to disable unwanted functionalities or set preferences for algorithmic content recommendations. Furthermore, we called for influencers to disclose advertising clearly and prominently, with brands and agencies ensuring compliance with legal obligations.
We also emphasised the impact of the rollout of the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising Regulation (TTPAR), especially a lack of cohesiveness between the EU institutions and member states. Overly strict limitations on personalised advertising based on political views risk unintended negative impacts on vulnerable groups and activist actors. We stressed that a cohesive, clear definition of influencers and content creators is necessary for TTPAR to function effectively and to enable proper enforcement of the Digital Services Act, especially considering ongoing systemic risk analyses.
The final legislative proposal is anticipated by late 2026.