Study reveals: Internet companies continue to ignore design ban - financial expert warns of illegal practices

Study reveals: Internet companies continue to ignore design ban - financial expert warns of illegal practices

According to a report by www.otz.de, a study by the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) has shown that large internet companies continue to use illegal design tricks to steer consumers in a certain direction, even a hundred days after the European Digital Services Act (DSA) came into force. Despite the ban on exploiting human behavior or perception patterns through design tricks, violations have still been found at companies such as Amazon, Booking.com, Google Shopping and YouTube.

The impact of these violations can be significant. Consumers feel manipulated, confused or tricked by design tricks on online platforms. This can lead to a loss of trust in the companies in question. In addition, consumers can make wrong decisions if they are misled by manipulative design tricks.

The study also revealed serious deficiencies in the transparency of advertising criteria as well as in the presentation of contact options and general terms and conditions (GTC). These deficiencies may further undermine consumer confidence and affect consumer rights.

Overall, it is clear that breaches of the new legal obligations can have a significant impact on the market and consumers. It turns out that implementing and complying with legal requirements in the digital space continues to be a challenge that needs to be overcome.