Story by
Kirsty Styles
ReporterKirsty Styles is a journalist who lives in Hackney. She was previously editor at Tech City News and is now a reporter at The Next Web. She l Kirsty Styles is a journalist who lives in Hackney. She was previously editor at Tech City News and is now a reporter at The Next Web. She loves tech for good, cleantech, edtech, assistive tech, politech (?), diversity in tech.
You’d never need to show ID when buying a tasty loaf of bread, so why does your nationality matter when buying stuff online?
That’s exactly the point the European Consumer Organisation is trying to make in its ‘Stop Geo-blocking‘ campaign film.
Watch the awkward moment when the shopkeeper says he’ll charge more, or even not sell products to people, based purely on their nationality.
The consumer watchdog believes that in Europe’s Digital Single Market, you should be able to stream music, films and TV from anywhere to anywhere.
It says this would curb piracy and ensure equal access, so it’s calling on the European Commission to make good on plans to harmonize the law across the EU.
A recent study by the Commission found that a whopping 68 percent of European digital content providers geo-block users depending on where they are trying to access information – with 59 percent currently required to do this by content suppliers.
That means every purchase you make in Europe could be priced differently based on where you’re from, if you’re allowed to buy it at all.
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