EU Digital Fairness Act: Commission Proposes Fines of Up to 6% and a Switch-Off Right for Addictive Features

The same commentary lists a clear cancellation button and consent before a free trial turns into a paid plan among the subscription measures, though it attributes those to other reports. It notes dynamic pricing would not be banned, but sellers would have to disclose how many items remain at the advertised price.

Will infinite scroll and autoplay be banned?

Not outright, according to the coverage. Silicon UK says consumers could switch off features that encourage compulsive or excessive use, with autoplay and endless scrolling among the examples, and that AI chatbots built to keep users talking could be affected. EUobserver, reporting on the leaked draft before the presentation, said such features would only have to be avoided if users actively turn them off.

Digital rights groups say that is too weak. Itxaso Domínguez de Olazábal of EDRi told EUobserver that an opt-out should not automatically be treated as enough. The same report quotes her calling the binding rules against manipulative design a significant step, so the criticism is about the strength of the rules, not their existence.

Who would enforce it, and when?

Silicon UK says the EU would enforce directly when a breach affects two-thirds of the bloc's population, rather than leaving the case to national regulators, and that smaller companies would not face enforcement. The report notes the Commission ordered TikTok in February to change addictive design features, and in 2024 ordered X to change its blue-check design.

CEA Digilaw cites an estimate that the rules would not apply before the end of 2028. Until Parliament and the Council agree a text, the act is a proposal, and lobbying over the opt-out wording is likely to start now.