Digital Fairness Act

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] The Commission has stated that there will be a 12-week long public consultation starting in late spring 2025,^[7] and the Digital Fairness Act will be proposed by the Commission in the third quarter of 2026.^[8][9][10]

Timeline

• 13 November 2020: The EU Commission states that "consumers should benefit from a comparable level of protection and fairness online as they enjoy offline" in New Consumer Agenda.^[11]
• 22 February 2021: The Council of the EU adopts conclusions on New Consumer Agenda.^[12]
• 12 December 2023: The European Parliament adopts resolution on Addictive design of online services and consumer protection in the EU single market.^[13][14]
• 3 October 2024: EU Commission publishes final report on the Digital fairness fitness check.^[15][16][17]
• 5 November 2024: Commissioner-Designate Michael McGrath is questioned by MEPs on his plan for the Digital Fairness Act.^{[18][19][20][21]}
• 17 July 2025: European Commission opens Digital Fairness Act to public feedback.