According to the European Court of Auditors, consumers in the EU should be better protected against discrimination when shopping online.
The auditors recommend that the current enforcement rules against so-called geoblocking be tightened and made uniform, according to a press release from the Court of Auditors. Customers should also be better informed about possible help and protection.
What is geoblocking?
With geoblocking, for example, access to online offerings is restricted or completely blocked, depending on which EU country you access them from. This may mean that consumers cannot order certain products from abroad or that they are shown different prices.
To protect consumers, there are EU regulations that prohibit this type of discrimination. Geoblocking is only permitted in exceptional cases, for example when different laws apply, such as age limits for purchasing alcohol.
Patchwork of responsibilities and fines
If retailers do not adhere to the geoblocking ban, it is not clear which member state – i.e. whether the customer’s country or the provider’s country – should impose fines. There are also big differences in the amount of fines: the minimum fines range “from 26 euros to 900,000 euros and the maximum fines from 1,448 euros to 5 million euros,” according to the auditors’ report. (dpa)