EU plans influencer marketing rules and dark-pattern ban

Draft EU documents seen by AFP say Brussels plans to tighten rules on influencer marketing, deceptive website design and online pricing in a Digital Fairness Act due to be presented on Wednesday.

The draft says the EU would ban deceptive “dark patterns” that push users toward choices preferred by sellers and require more pricing transparency before checkout, including action against hidden fees known as “drip pricing”.

Companies and brands using influencers would have to ensure posts and videos are clearly labelled as an advertisement or commercial collaboration. The draft would also forbid brands from asking influencers to encourage children to buy products or persuade parents to do so.

For video games, the plans would ban minors being offered “pay-to-win” or “pay-to-progress” features and would require virtual currencies to show their real-world value. Platforms would also have to let users disable autoplay and unrelated notifications and remind consumers when a free trial is ending, including the end date and continuation cost.

The documents remain subject to revisions before EU consumer protection chief Michael McGrath is due to unveil the proposal.