Online subscriptions without a catch: the State Duma regulates the digital industry

State Duma deputies presented the bill №405607-8 , the purpose of which is to modernize the current Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights of February 7, 1992 No. 2300-1. The amendments will regulate “digital subscriptions” actively used by a quarter of the country’s population.

The authors of the bill, including deputies Leonid Slutsky, Petr Tolstoy and Andrei Svintsov, declare the need to change the existing system. They note that consumers are experiencing a range of issues, including difficulty tracking and canceling subscriptions, auto-renewal without user consent, charges being charged without notice, and services not meeting advertised terms. This forces customers and businesses to spend personal resources on contentious issues.

“The proposed changes will have a positive impact on the development of the subscription services sector, provide greater transparency and predictability,” the explanatory note to the bill says.

The main proposal of the bill is a mandatory warning to users about the upcoming debiting of funds for a subscription, no later than 24 hours in advance. Companies will also be required to provide information about the methods of canceling the subscription and the date of payment.

In addition, it is supposed to prohibit the automatic debiting of money from cards on marketplaces if the data was deleted before the purchase was made. For write-offs without prior notice, the seller will have to return the full amount.

They want to entrust control over the implementation of the law to Roskomnadzor.

The measures are designed to ensure a comfortable and safe use of digital subscriptions and simplify the management of purchases.