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Fórum evropské občanské iniciativy

Tax or outlaw trading in attention

Autor /Autorka: Inactive user |
Datum aktualizace: 04 March 2019 |
Počet zobrazení: 796

There are many businesses that buy attention from consumers and sell them to advisers (Google, Facebook, television/publications without subscriptions, etc.)

They add nothing to our lives which could not be sold as a product with a normal fee.

Because as a consumer you are not a client, you are the product being sold to advertisers. This makes you powerless and these companies get disproportionate power.

Advertising itself has become the art of selling us products we did not know we need, it creates a desire. This is not good for the planet.

For these reasons the buying of attention should be taxed in the European Union, perhaps even outlawed. A single member state can not do this.

It is perfectly feasible because we are also able to collect value added tax. Tax authorities could also look into the books of local companies to see if attention is bought (e.g. Facebook advertisements). Consumers then have to turn to journalists and retailers to get (reliable!) information about products and services. Currently they are also losing their grounds and independence, despite being extremely important.

How to proceed from here?

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Inactive user | 07 October 2020

I don't understand much. If you are requesting a specific legislation that you like, well it's OK. But I don't see why the EU is needed for a special request, for politics. Today the member countries are a layer of legislation and the European Union another additional layer. The point I would expect to discuss here is about who has which competences. But you are talking about politics in general. What's the point about the EU? I'll tell you I am federalist so I am pushing for federal laws from the EU. Then the lawmakers have to be elected and they will make laws.

Inactive user | 04 July 2018

I do ask for special EU-legislation. The corporations I mention (Facebook, Google, etc.) operate internationally and it is therefore pointless to start legislation only in a member state. Also, the EU has a better track record with fighting these giants. Member states are mostly competing to attract these companies to open offices on their soil. 

Also, the EU is fighting these giants but with great difficulty. The problems they cause in Europe (but also in the world) are because of their business model. They sell attention (and information about consumers) to advertisers. This is a privacy problem and a danger for our democracy and health. Instead of good, journalistic information for citizens, it is designed to deliver addictive and confusing or irrelevant distractions to consumers.

If it becomes a requirement to always offer a paid version of services to consumers this will create a division in society between the informed and rich and the confused and poor. This is disastrous for a democracy. Therefore, the business model itself should disappear.



Inactive user | 08 August 2021

I am wondering why the Google and Facebook etc. bosses are still out of the jail ?

Why are all of us so stupid ?

Forum Team | 26 February 2019

Thank you for raising the issue and sharing this idea on our platform.

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Let us draw your attention to the existence of EU policies and strategies on Consumer Rights, and more specifically the Directive on misleading and comparative advertising . Please find more information following these links: https://europa.eu/european-union/life/consumer-rights_en & https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/consumers/unfair-commercial-practices-law/misleading-and-comparative-advertising-directive_en.

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If you have reached the stage to be ready to register an initiative, the Official Register of the European Citizens’ Initiative might be more adapted to your request: http://ec.citizens-initiative.europa.eu/public/how-to-register.

The Forum Moderation Team