BEUC NEWS - 19.10.2023

New research undertaken for BEUC shows that ‘choice screen’ design will have an important impact on whether the Digital Markets Act (DMA) can give consumers a free and fair choice in the selection of services like search engines and web browsers.

The EU’s DMA aims to give consumers more choice in online services. The DMA will require designated digital platforms (known as ‘gatekeepers’) to provide consumers with so-called ‘choice screens’ to give them greater choice of browsers, search engines and virtual assistants. This is important as these services can act as gateways to many of consumers’ online activities.  

This new research found that choice screen design can be instrumental in raising awareness of the existence of alternative services. This is particularly so for less tech-savvy consumers.

Choice screens should be designed in such a way that offers consumers genuine freedom to choose. The European Commission must therefore monitor the effectiveness of choice screens by requiring gatekeepers to regularly transmit data about their effectiveness in promoting alternatives.  

To find out more, read the research paper and our policy recommendations.