EU law to clamp down on social media influencers, ticket websites and doomscrolling

A NEW EU law, which has far-reaching powers, aims to clamp down on areas such as ticket pricing, social media influencers, as well as addictive design that promotes ‘doomscrolling’. 

EU Commissioner Michael McGrath, Ireland’s European commissioner for justice, will present the Digital Fairness Act tomorrow as part of the Irish Presidency of the EU Council. 

The legislation is described as a regulation that will have a very real impact in protecting consumers online and tackling addictive designs.  

Advertisement

In July McGrath told The Journal how the new law will crack down on dynamic pricing, stating that online ticket sellers will have to disclose how many tickets are available at each price point while a person is in a queue online waiting to purchase. 

He went on to say that the Digital Services Act which he is driving in the commission will also deal with issues such as consumers signing up to free trial periods, and then being automatically rolled on to a permanent commitment that is very difficult to get out of is also in his sights.

“It should be as easy to get out of as it is to get into such an arrangement, so it should be a single click. So this is all part of the Digital Fairness Act,” he added. 

Regulating social media influencers, who McGrath said are doing “legitimate commercial activity”, is also a focus.

While he said the activity is regulated to some extent in Ireland, that is not the case in every EU member state.

Related Reads

How a Revolut and Bank of Ireland customer lost €4k in a scam - with no reimbursement in sight

Festival-goers 'shafted' by soaring food prices as event organisers demand 22-25% cut

Whatever happened to the 'latte levy'? Government dragging its feet on single-use plastics

“So again I think consumers deserve a minimum level of transparency that if there is an underlying commercial transaction, if it is a paid for advertisement, basically I think people should have that information,” said McGrath. 

Manipulative design features that mislead or pressure users and make it harder for them to take informed decisions, will also be regulated along with the prohibition of advertising targeting minors or exploiting consumers’ vulnerabilities. 

McGrath said the Digital Fairness Act will address some of the harmful commercial practices and strengthen the consumer protection safety net across Europe, protecting consumers of all ages.