Logo
Letters
Available in
English
BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation, together with 33 organisations and individuals representing civil society, consumers, doctors, hospitals and healthcare services, conformity assessment bodies (CABs), and academia, wrote to the Commission, the Cyprus EU Council Presidency and Members of the European Parliament to express our concerns about current proposals in the AI Omnibus that would weaken the scope and effectiveness of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.
Our main concerns is with the removal of Annex I from the AI Act. This change would create a significant loophole, excluding a wide range of industrial and consumer AI systems from the direct scope of the AI Act.
Our main concerns is with the removal of Annex I from the AI Act. This change would create a significant loophole, excluding a wide range of industrial and consumer AI systems from the direct scope of the AI Act.
Press releases
Available in
English
Following today’s adoption of the European Parliament’s position on the AI omnibus and ahead of interinstitutional negotiations, BEUC calls upon the EU institutions and national governments to ensure that critical safeguards to protect consumers and their fundamental rights are kept in the AI Act.
Reports
Available in
English
The European Consumer Organisation – BEUC, takes the view that Meta’s latest changes on its ‘consent-for-ads’ model would still not meet the requirements laid down in EU law, especially EU Regulation 2022/1925 (the Digital Markets Act - DMA), EU Regulation 2016/679 (the General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR) and EU Directive 2005/29 (the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive – the UCPD). Several crucial issues remain unsolved, including the ability of users to provide free, specific, informed and unambiguous consent given Meta’s extensive data collection, and the continued use of non-neutral language and interface design techniques which undermine the free choice of users.
Press releases
Available in
English
A new analysis by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) concludes that Meta’s latest model to let consumers pay for an ad-free experience, or obtain their consent to show either personalised or less personalised ads, continues to breach the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), the GDPR and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD).
Position papers
Available in
English
The EU digital rulebook has been designed to protect consumers’ data and privacy in the new digital economy. At the core of it, there is a careful balance of interests which the EU’s Digital Omnibus now risks overturning. This balance should be protected and even strengthened to protect consumers’ fundamental rights and freedoms. The proposed reform of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes beyond simplification and will expose consumers to unnecessary risks and compromise essential protections, including the right to effective judicial remedy, and erode trust in digital products and services.
Press releases
Available in
English
The European Commission's preliminarily findings that TikTok is in breach of the Digital Services
Act (DSA). While DSA enforcement remains slow, today's decision is a step closer towards
stricter compliance with the EU’s rules.
Act (DSA). While DSA enforcement remains slow, today's decision is a step closer towards
stricter compliance with the EU’s rules.
Position papers
Available in
English
In the following contribution, we highlight the most important changes for consumers regarding the AI Act and share BEUC’s recommendations to ensure that both a high level of protection for consumers and a regulatory level playing field for EU businesses remains in place.
Position papers
Available in
English
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) introduces a right to explanation for decisions primarily based on high-risk AI systems. BEUC views this right as essential for accountability, enforcement, and redress under the AI Act.
BEUC has long warned that obscurity in AI and algorithmic systems undermines consumer autonomy and fosters unfair practices and discrimination, especially when consumers cannot understand the logic behind scoring, profiling, or risk assessments by AI systems. The right to an explanation helps rebalance this information and power asymmetry. It obliges companies to disclose meaningful information about logic and factors behind the decision.
This is the minimum requirement to allow consumers to detect mistakes, identify unfair practices and seek redress. To ensure the effectiveness of the right to explanation under the AI Act, BEUC recommends the EU to draft clear guidelines with the following in mind:
Clear guidance on the AI Act’s interpretation and the interplay with other EU legal frameworks
Connecting the right to an explanation and the right to complaint
Encourage proactive provision of explanations
Promote a clear two-step enforcement pathway process
BEUC has long warned that obscurity in AI and algorithmic systems undermines consumer autonomy and fosters unfair practices and discrimination, especially when consumers cannot understand the logic behind scoring, profiling, or risk assessments by AI systems. The right to an explanation helps rebalance this information and power asymmetry. It obliges companies to disclose meaningful information about logic and factors behind the decision.
This is the minimum requirement to allow consumers to detect mistakes, identify unfair practices and seek redress. To ensure the effectiveness of the right to explanation under the AI Act, BEUC recommends the EU to draft clear guidelines with the following in mind:
Clear guidance on the AI Act’s interpretation and the interplay with other EU legal frameworks
Connecting the right to an explanation and the right to complaint
Encourage proactive provision of explanations
Promote a clear two-step enforcement pathway process
Press releases
Available in
English
BEUC welcomes the proposed codification of key consumer rights in telecoms but warns this should not reduce or go against higher levels of consumer protection.
