{"id":129669,"date":"2023-01-31T03:00:34","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T02:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cde.ual.es\/?p=129669"},"modified":"2023-01-30T13:24:24","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T12:24:24","slug":"european-commission-detects-manipulation-practices-in-148-of-the-399-online-stores-examined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cde.ual.es\/en\/european-commission-detects-manipulation-practices-in-148-of-the-399-online-stores-examined\/","title":{"rendered":"European Commission detects manipulation practices in 148 of the 399 online stores examined"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European Commission and national consumer protection authorities of 23 Member States, Norway and Iceland (CPC Network), released the results of a screening (\u201csweep\u201d) of retail websites.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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This check covered 399 online shops of retail traders selling products ranging from textiles to electronic goods. It also focused on three specific types of manipulative practices that are often known to push consumers into making choices that may not be in their best interest, so-called \u2018dark patterns’. These include: fake countdown timers; web interfaces designed to lead consumers to purchases, subscriptions or other choices; and hidden information. The investigation showed that 148 sites contained at least one of these three dark patterns.<\/p>\n

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Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said: \u201cOur screening shows that nearly 40% of the online shopping websites rely on manipulative practices to exploit consumers’ vulnerabilities or trick them. This behavior is clearly wrong and against consumer protection. Today we already have binding tools to help tackle such issues and I call on national authorities to make use of their enforcement capacities to take relevant action and fight these practices. In parallel, the Commission is reviewing all consumer legislation to ensure it is fit for the digital age, including to assess whether dark patterns are adequately covered.\u201d<\/p>\n