Digital Fairness Act

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The Digital Fairness Act (DFA) is a legislative proposal by the European Commission. [1] [2] Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, will be responsible for this legislation under Ursula von der Leyen's second Commission. [3] The legislation will tackle dark patterns, personalisation, contracts, and influencer marketing. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

On July 17 2025 The Commission started the public consultation of the DFA. [7] The DFA will be proposed by the Commission in the third quarter of 2026. [8] [9] [10]

Within the first two weeks around 3000 responses were sent to the public consultation, predominantly from videogamers, many of whom urged the inclusion of provisions to prohibit publishers from “killing” games by permanently disabling or delisting titles consumers have bought. Campaign organiser Ross Scott has publicly highlighted the consultation as a new legislative avenue for the Stop Killing Games initiative, encouraging EU citizens to submit feedback demanding game-preservation rules that ensure purchased games remain playable even after official support ends. [11]

Timeline

References

  1. "European Commission - Have your say". European Commission - Have your say. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  2. "JUSTICE AND CONSUMERS - Consumer protection: Commission launches a public consultation on the Fitness Check of EU consumer law on digital fairness". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  3. "Michael McGrath - Mission letter | European Commission" (PDF). commission.europa.eu. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  4. Hendrix, Justin (21 September 2024). "Thierry Breton Resigns- What Does it Mean for European Tech Regulation? | TechPolicy.Press". Tech Policy Press. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  5. Hartmann, Théophane (23 January 2024). "Belgian presidency reinforces call to regulate influencers at EU level". www.euractiv.com. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  6. Hartmann, Théophane (18 January 2024). "French influencer law's alignment with EU rules 'not a problem', leading MP says". www.euractiv.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  7. "Une consultation publique sur le Digital Fairness Act fleurira au printemps 2025 | Contexte". www.contexte.com. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
  8. Tamim, James (2025-02-03). "Commission Targets Early 2026 for Digital Fairness Act". Digital Fairness Act Newsletter. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
  9. "EU Digital Fairness Act set for early 2026, with consumer protection in focus | MLex | Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation". www.mlex.com. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
  10. "EU Digital Fairness Act lobbying asks questions over enforcement of current rules | MLex | Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation". www.mlex.com. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  11. Datta, Anupriya (4 August 2025). "Gamers flood EU consultation in push for rules to make sure the fun never stops". Euractiv. Retrieved 5 August 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL New Consumer Agenda Strengthening consumer resilience for sustainable recovery, 2020, retrieved 2024-11-03
  13. "New Consumer Agenda: Council adopts conclusions". 2021.
  14. "Texts adopted - Addictive design of online services and consumer protection in the EU single market - Tuesday, 12 December 2023". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  15. Tar, Julia (2023). "MEPs call for new rules on digital platforms' addictive design". Euractiv.
  16. "European Commission - Have your say". European Commission - Have your say. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  17. "Digital Fairness Act - Timeline". Digital Fairness Act. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  18. "EU Commission: Current consumer rules unfit for 2024 online market". euronews. 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  19. "Here's the final schedule for commissioner hearings in November". POLITICO. 2024-10-10. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  20. Kirkwood, Megan (2024-11-05). "The Digital Markets Act Roundup: October 2024 | TechPolicy.Press". Tech Policy Press. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  21. "Hearing of Commissioner-designate Michael McGrath | Actualitate | Parlamentul European". www.europarl.europa.eu (in Romanian). 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  22. Connelly, Tony (2024-05-11). "McGrath confirmed as European Commissioner for Justice after three-hour long hearing". RTE.

Digital Fairness Act - Have Your Say