Dark patterns, online ads will be potential targets for the next Commission, Reynders says

 

Transparency in the online advertising market, dark patterns and ‘cookie fatigue’ are all topics on which the European Commission might regulate in the next mandate, the EU’s consumer protection chief told EURACTIV.

European Commissioner for justice and consumer protection, Didier Reynders, added that some existing commercial practices, like greenwashing, could be banned under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the directive, which was adopted in 2005, would need to be updated to be aligned with the online world, adding that his Commission department had carried out a study on the possible gaps in the directive.

The study is focused on dark patterns and manipulative personalisation, commercial techniques used to make internet users do something against their will or interest. (...)