With the Digital Fairness Act (DFA), the European Commission is taking a big step toward stricter consumer protection within digital environments. The law, whose consultation closed recently, aims to ban techniques such as dark patterns, addictive design, and misleading influencer marketing. This will address online manipulation of consumers-a pressing concern according to regulators, consumer groups, and youth advocacy groups.
The DFA introduces clear prohibitions on misleading design choices ("dark patterns") and forces digital service providers to be more transparent about offers, subscriptions, and marketing. Addictive interface elements, unclear personalization, and marketing that particularly affects vulnerable groups such as young people are given special attention in the law. Digital platforms will also be required to make cancellation procedures simpler and fairer. Practices such as fake timers, false urgency ("5 more minutes!"), confirmshaming, and hard-to-cancel contracts are banned so that consumers have more control over their digital choices. The law complements existing EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act and focuses on gaps where digital manipulation is not currently addressed enough.
The consultation responses are mostly positive about stricter digital consumer protection. Both Dutch regulator ACM and various interest groups stress the importance of effective European enforcement and call attention to AI development and mental health in the digital economy. At the same time, companies argue for clear rules that do not unnecessarily hinder innovation, and respondents insist on alignment with existing EU legislation to avoid fragmentation.
Based on the consultation, the European Commission is now working on the final legislative proposal, which is expected to be published in mid-2026. The Digital Fairness Act is unlikely to take effect before 2027, which means that organizations can anticipate new compliance requirements now and consumers can soon expect more "fairness by design" in their digital environment.
