Companies risk fines of 6% global turnover for unfair digital trade practices: EU draft law

Published Tue, Nov 10, 2026 · 06:29 AM

[BRUSSELS] Companies found guilty of using unfair digital trade practices to push people to buy more or target children with personalised advertising risk fines of as much as 6 per cent of annual global turnover, according to a European Commission draft law seen by Reuters.

The Commission’s Justice chief Michael McGrath will present the proposed legislation known as the Digital Fairness Act (DFA) on Wednesday, which will need to be thrashed out with EU countries and the European Parliament before it can become law.

The DFA is the latest legislative push by Europe to get Big Tech, e-commerce and social media giants to do more to police content on their platforms.

It would ban so-called business-to-consumer “dark patterns” — deceptive or manipulative interface designs on websites and apps that steer people into buying more — as unfair commercial practices, the document said.

The Commission also wants to ban personalised advertising targeting children or vulnerable consumers.

Companies using dynamic pricing, where ticket prices fluctuate based on real-time demand and which has triggered criticism from consumers, will be required to be more transparent by disclosing the number of items available at the advertised price.

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