The Digital Justice Act is under way

The probability of problems in online purchases is 60% higher than in fixed purchases. 93% of online buyers are afraid about targeted advertising and the acquisition of individual data, according to consumer surveys by the European Commission. These issues are to be regulated in the Digital Justice Act, which is drafted in the EC document, which aims to increase transparency in the digital environment and reduce the usage of manipulation techniques in e-commerce. His presentation was announced for 2026.

– The Digital Justice Act is the announced fresh law, which is welcome by Euroconsumers. We emphasise that this is not about creating fresh rules for the regulation itself, but about the request to fill gaps in the current government and to guarantee parallel enforcement of existing rules. These 2 elements will guarantee better consumer protection, which is the aim of our organisation Marco Pierani, manager of Public Affairs and Media Relations at Euroconsumers, a group of consumer organisations that starts in Poland, emphasizes in an interview with Newseria agency.

The Digital Fairness Act is 1 of the fresh European Commission proposals announced in the framework of the updating of EU consumer protection rules. The planned rules are intended to include, among others, manipulation practices in digital interfaces (dark patterns), hard to cancel subscriptions, hidden or misleading influencer advertising, unclear content personalization, automatic purchasing hints and the deficiency of ability to separate between AI-generated content and man-made message. The intent of the DFA is besides to increase transparency in the process of offering and selling so that the user knows whether he is dealing with advertising, commercial recommendation, private opinion or algorithm.

"The concept of justice refers to the creation of a better functioning marketplace that works more effectively and brings better results not only for final consumers, but besides forces more transparent practices on entrepreneurs. Currently, companies are applying many activities that are opaque and hard to realize for the average consumer – points to Marco Pierani.

Another crucial area of the fresh paper is to strengthen consumer protection against online fraud. The European Commission's "Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025" survey shows that in 2024 45% of consumers faced attempts at online fraud last year. Many have faced unfair practices specified as false opinions (66%) or misleading rebates (61%). 93 percent of online buyers are afraid of targeting ads online, including the collection of individual data, excessive advertising and its personalization. A full of 26% of e-consumers last year experienced a problem which they thought justified the submission of a complaint, compared with 16% of consumers buying stationaryly.

"The Digital Justice Act is intended to address gaps in the current government that arose before the present technologies emerged. This is so an update of the law to prevent misleading practices of companies, for example in terms of privacy or subscription models. For example, it's very easy to subscribe to a service, but getting out of it can be much more complicated. – explains the Euroconsumers expert. – Another example concerns offers promoted by influencers. The average consumer is not always able to identify whether he is dealing with a simple, private advice or advertising. Another area the DFA can address is erstwhile artificial intelligence was used.

A peculiar area that can be further reinforced by the Digital Fairness Act is the protection of minors – the most susceptible to hidden advertising, algorithmic recommendations and sponsored content.

– Transparency and protection of minors are key. This should be included in the Digital Justice Act – evaluates Marco Pierani. – Young users usage the net and social media more and more and more frequently besides buy online.

An global survey by Euroconsumers among teenagers (12-17 years) indicates that this group of net users is increasingly aware of how algorithms and targeted ads work for their behavior, thinking, spending time and spending.

46 percent of respondents said that personalised ads are suitable and useful for them, and 43 percent admitted that they make them buy more than they needed. At the same time, a very akin percent (42%) did not announcement that algorithms regulate what they see in their channel.

The Digital Fairness Act is now after the consultation phase, completed in October 2025. The formal task is to be presented in 2026. The next phase of work will focus on assessing the impact of regulation and their real impact on the market, including on smaller companies operating in the digital environment.

"When the European Commission presents the proposal, we will be able to address it in more detail. In general, we are in favour, but we stress that this must not make it hard for tiny and medium-sized enterprises to meet the requirements. We are very close to SMEs and start-ups. We do not want to increase the burden on these companies. We want to work with business to make the marketplace work better – emphasises the manager of Public Affairs and Media Relations at Euroconsumers.

The European Commission has announced that it will besides simplify the rules for businesses in the fresh act and look at how digital solutions can reduce administrative burdens and improve consumer access to information.