As digital services become central to everyday life, ensuring consumer well-being online is at the front and centre of European tech companies’ interest. Protecting users goes hand in hand with preserving user choice, encouraging innovation, and supporting the diversity of digital services that make the internet thrive. The key for Europe lies not in more rules, but in better enforcement: making sure existing protections deliver in practice, support responsible innovation, and uphold an internet that remains open, fair, and user-friendly.
Rethinking vulnerability online
Consumer vulnerability is rightly a focus of EU digital legislation. Measures such as the Accessibility Act, Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD), and Consumer Rights Directive (CRD) recognise that some groups, such as children or people with disabilities, may require additional safeguards.
But there’s a legal and practical dilemma: identifying vulnerable users may require collecting more personal, and potentially sensitive, data. Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), however, businesses are obliged to minimise data collection. What happens when users refuse to give consent?
Without clear guidelines, this well-meaning approach risks creating more privacy concerns, not fewer.
What is legal offline should be legal online
Activities considered lawful offline should not be treated differently just because they take place online. That is the only way to ensure a fair and competitive European Single Market.
Online environments are not inherently more manipulative than physical ones. In fact, EU laws impose not only transparency obligations but also robust consumer protection rules on digital businesses. Consumers today are provided and have more access to information than ever, often more so online than offline.
A technology-neutral perspective is essential to ensure consumers are protected without hindering innovation or limiting user autonomy.
Acknowledge the diversity of the digital ecosystem
European tech companies take consumer well-being seriously. Many go beyond legal requirements, investing heavily in compliance, accessibility, and safety. Yet much of the current conversation paints all digital actors with the same brush, as if carelessness were the norm.
But the reality is more nuanced. Trust in digital services starts with services that meet consumer needs coupled with strong consumer protections. It is also important to recognise that different players take different approaches. Many European companies are leading by example.
Engagement is not addiction
Some now call for restrictions on design features that encourage user engagement. There are valid questions around how extensive engagement with some digital platforms may affect well-being. This discussion must be rooted in evidence, not assumptions.
We need clear definitions of harm. Otherwise, vague claims risk targeting features designed to enhance user experience, not manipulate it. A product that reduces friction, improves discoverability, or helps users stay organised is not automatically harmful.
Rather than viewing all design tools with suspicion, the EU should adopt a risk-based approach: intervene where clear, proven harm exists, and allow space for digital services to continue offering value, whether that’s access to information, education, connection, or economic opportunity.
Build on the tools we already have
Before jumping to new rules, we must assess whether existing frameworks are doing their job. The Digital Services Act (DSA) already tackles many of the concerns being raised, including through its risk mitigation measures and forthcoming guidelines on minors. The issue is not a lack of regulation, it’s making sure the rules already in place are properly enforced.
Where gaps do exist, the solution should be targeted, focusing on specific features or outcomes, not blanket bans on entire business models. It is important to recognise that different models and practices serve different purposes.
Invest in digital literacy
A smarter, long-term approach lies in empowering users.
23% of European citizens feel they lack knowledge about their digital rights. Digital literacy helps people navigate online spaces with confidence and critical thinking. One key line of defence is to enable users to recognise harmful practices and make informed choices.
European tech calls for enforcement, not complexity
In recent years, the EU has adopted a suite of laws aimed at creating a safer, fairer digital space. These frameworks are only just beginning to take effect. Now is the time to implement and enforce them, not to rush into another round of legislation.
Let’s focus on making the existing frameworks work, ensuring that regulation protects consumers and supports a thriving, responsible digital ecosystem in Europe.
About the European Tech Alliance
EUTA represents leading European tech companies that provide innovative products and services to more than one billion users. Our 33 EUTA member companies from 15 European countries are popular and have earned the trust of consumers. As companies born and bred in Europe, for whom the EU is a crucial market, we have a deep commitment to European citizens and values.
With the right conditions, our companies can strengthen Europe’s resilience and technological autonomy, protect and empower users online, and promote Europe’s values of transparency, rule of law and innovation to the rest of the world.
The EUTA calls for boosting Europe’s tech competitiveness by having an ambitious EU tech strategy to overcome growth obstacles, making a political commitment to clear, targeted and risk-based rules, and enforcing rules consistently to match the globalised market we are in.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Victoria de Posson, EUTA Secretary General
E-mail: victoria@eutechalliance.eu
E-mail: info@eutechalliance.eu
Phone: +32 476 25 08 16
www.eutechalliance.eu
