Meta hit by privacy complaints from eight European countries
Meta Platforms was hit with privacy complaints as eight EU consumer groups asked watchdogs to act against the Facebook owner for alleged breaches of the bloc's privacy…
Consumer rights
Latest reporting and analysis on consumer rights.
EP committee votes to tighten consumer fraud protections
The European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) has voted in favour of tightening consumer protections against fraud.
Little buzz in EC over MEP’s sex-toy query
Brussels is not planning to impose any specific legislation on sex toys in the "near future", the European Commission said.
EU bodies agree stricter rules to protect ‘gig economy’ workers
European Union institutions have reached a provisional agreement on new rules aimed at protecting a subsection of “gig economy” workers within the bloc.
Dutch Government may defriend Facebook over ‘privacy issues’
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s outgoing Government is considering banning the use of Facebook for all public authorities.
Get your motors running: End of the (cheap) road for SUV drivers in Paris?
Parisians are to vote on whether to hit owners of 4x4 vehicles with parking fees as high as €18 an hour – three times the current rate.
It’s not rubbish: EU cleans up its act
Consumers will be given greater rights to have goods such as washing machines and smartphones repaired under new rules agreed by the European Union
EU gig-workers’ directive in trouble
A long-promised European Union directive giving full employment rights to “gig economy” workers could fall victim to the EU elections, experts told Brussels…
French regulator hammers Amazon with €32 million fine over ‘intrusive staff surveillance’
French regulator Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL) fined Amazon France Logistique €32 million for what the CNIL said was an "excessively…
Meta’s Digital Services Act workaround under fire again
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta has been hit with another legal complaint over its attempt to work around new restrictions imposed on it by the European Union’s…
Basque Country: Local initiatives and authorities battle tourism pressure on housing
Basque Country, France.
Sugar-rich snacks banned around European Commission headquarters
Travellers at Brussels Metro Stations Schuman, Montgomery and Arts-Law will soon only be able to purchase nutritious bites from snack-vending machines.
EC slaps porn sites with Digital Services Act requirements
The European Commission has slapped more stringent regulation on three major pornography websites under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Octopuses are not for farming: For once, we need more action from the European Commission to protect these smart creatures
The European Commission has disclosed it will not protect octopus species under European law.
You’re a fraud, honey! European Parliament cereal killers come after breakfast
The cereal regulators sitting in the European Parliament have voted in favour of tighter restrictions on breakfast foodstuffs.
Push against geo-blocking ‘will hammer Europe’s entertainment industry’, sector warns
Attempts to ban the “geo-blocking” of audio-visual content within the European Union will hurt the bloc's entertainment industry, that sector has warned.
EU watchdog demands ban on Facebook and Instagram ‘behavioural advertising’
The European Union's data protection watchdog has demanded Facebook and Instagram owner Meta be banned from processing user data for “behavioural advertising”.
No backbone? No protection: Octopuses left high and dry under EU law
Octopus species are not protected under animal welfare rights in European Union law, the European Commission has confirmed.
EU aims to force Big Tech and others to make their products repairable
The European Union is to target so-called "planned obsolescence" in products amid the bloc's ongoing technology regulation efforts.
Meta hit with European consumer group complaint over users’ DSA access move
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta has been hit with a formal complaint over its attempts to charge European users to access the European Union’s Digital Services…
EC wants fast refunds and clearer information for stranded travellers
The European Commission is advocating for travellers to have access to clearer information and swift reimbursement in the event of trip cancellations.
Ruling reality is not enough! MEPs demand EU regulation of ‘virtual worlds’
Seemingly unhappy with just ruling Europe, MEPs have demanded that the European Union starts regulating "virtual worlds", such as Facebook's metaverse and Star Trek-style…
Meta Platforms’ paid ad-free service targeted in Austrian privacy complaint
Meta Platforms' paid no-ads subscription service launched in Europe this month faced one of its biggest tests as advocacy group NOYB on Tuesday filed a complaint…
European Parliament votes for right-to-repair
The European Parliament says it wants a pan-European Union right-to-repair law.
EC did not consider toxic health consequences of its plastic straw ban
The EU did not consider the increase in toxic PFAS chemicals when it decided to ban single-use plastic straws, the bloc's environment commissioner, Virginijus Sinkevičius,…
Commission rejects privacy concerns linked to physical ID card revamp
The European Commission rejected privacy concerns linked to a planned revamp of physical European ID cards.
UK academics want cigarette-style warnings on meat
Researchers at Durham University in the UK have suggested using graphic health warnings on meat, similar to those on tobacco products, in a bid to help reduce consumption…
Facebook, Instagram to make users pay to take up EU data protection benefits
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta will charge EU users who want to avail of the bloc's data protection benefits, it says.
MEPs demand regulations to make social media less addictive
MEPs have demanded that new technology regulations be implemented at the European Union level aimed at making social media less addictive.
Belgian beer giant turns to UFC after transgender backlash hammers sales
Belgian brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev NV is trying to win back Conservatives by cosying-up to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in a major multi-year…