Over the next couple of days the European Parliament will debate and vote on new rules as part of the upcoming Digital Services Act to create a safer and more transparent space for online users.
The new rules have the potential to significantly impact the ticket resale market which has long been plagued by online marketplaces that exploit consumers by providing misleading information and hosting illegal or invalid tickets to turn huge profits.
While the proposals put forward by the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) are a big step in the right direction to improve transparency and accountability online, there are currently significant loopholes that could compromise the effectiveness of the Digital Services Act.
As such, FEAT urges MEPs to consider voting for the following amendments:
👉 Amendments 484, 515 and 548: Safeguarding fans against the reappearance of illegal products — a stay down provision is essential to ensure illegal products such as tickets do not reappear on marketplaces. In the case of illicit ticket resale, a simple keyword search would allow the marketplaces to identify illegally listed tickets for one event.
👉 Amendment 550: Making sure that due diligence requirements apply to all except micro businesses — ticket resale marketplaces come in all sizes and we see consumer abuses at all levels. It is therefore highly problematic that smaller enterprises would be exempt from basic due diligence requirements outlined in Chapter 3, leaving consumers vulnerable and companies open to exploit the rules.
👉 Amendment 512: Requiring marketplaces to verify information as to the identity of the seller through measures such as ID or bank document checks — ticket scalpers regularly use fake identities in order to sell fake or invalid tickets. A simple step such as an ID check is easy to implement and would have a significant impact on the number of fraudulent sellers listing tickets online.
