Consumer Corner

Renting credibility: How X’s blue checkmark became a tool for scammers

Before X and ‘X premium’, there was Twitter and verified accounts. As the platform underwent many changes, the definition of the blue check mark has become blurry, causing confusion that scammers can now leverage. The EU is already stepping up by fining X under the Digital Services Act for failing to provide transparency. However, as BEUC’s Digital Team will explain, beyond more clarity for users on the blue checkmark’s meaning, X should change how its algorithm treats that blue checkmark.

Three-euro duty and a dream (of safe parcels)

A bargain should not come with a blind spot. From 1 July, the EU will end the old customs exemption for low-value parcels worth up to €150 and introduce a temporary three-euro customs duty per item on goods imported from outside the EU. That may sound technical, but the idea is simple: when millions of parcels arrive every day through e-commerce, the old system no longer gives customs authorities the tools they need to keep unsafe products out and fair competition in. This change reflects how much online shopping has grown since the rule was first designed, write Léa Auffret and Oriana Henry from the BEUC’s International affairs team.

Two years on it’s time for Big Tech to stop playing games under the Digital Markets Act

The EU adopted its Digital Markets Act (DMA) to give European consumers more choice and better access to innovative products and internet services. Since the DMA entered into force, Europe’s consumers have more choice of services, apps and hardware. Still, the benefits would be even greater if certain Big Tech companies would stop fighting the new rules and focus on compliance.

Are consumers denied cheaper products from other countries?

Have you ever wondered why certain products cost more in your country than in neighbouring countries? This may be the result of restrictions set by manufacturers on retailers. Justified? Sometimes not…