EU retail websites screened for manipulative practices

The European Commission, in conjunction with the national consumer protection authorities of 23 member states as well as Norway and Iceland, conducted an EU-wide screening of 399 online shops to detect potential manipulative online practices.

Also referred to as dark patterns, manipulative practices are online interfaces designed in such a way as to convince consumers into making purchase choices that may not have been in their best interest.

The retail websites checked during this screening exercise ranged from textiles to electronic products. The investigation focused on three categories of dark patterns: fake countdown timers; web interfaces designed to lead consumers to purchases, subscriptions or other choices; and hidden information. From the investigation, it resulted that nearly 40 per cent of the websites inspected contained at least one of these three dark patterns.

EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said these practices exploit consumers’ vulnerabilities and are clearly in breach of consumer protection legislation.

Reynders called on national authorities to make use of their enforcement capacities to take relevant action and fight these practices. In the...