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]

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

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