EU proposes subscription controls and ban on loot boxes for minors

The European Commission proposed a Digital Fairness Act that would ban paid loot boxes for under-18s, prohibit manipulative interface practices and require online subscription cancellation in a few clicks, The Next Web reports. The regulation would replace the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and cover traders targeting EU consumers wherever they are based. Free trials could become paid subscriptions only with active acceptance. Games would have to display the real-money value of in-game currencies, and all players would get an option to disable paid loot boxes. A parallel enforcement proposal would let the Commission investigate major cross-border infringements and impose fines of up to 6% of global turnover. The proposals now go to Parliament and member states.