Europe wants customers to do their online shopping without an account

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has adopted recommendations to provide European consumers with the option to purchase products online without creating an account.

Whether it’s to make an online purchase, get a special deal on a product, or browse products, whenever customers interact with online webshops, they may be asked to create an account.

Unintentionally, this may lead to data collection practices and the processing of personal data of customers who didn’t sign up for that. Additionally, creating an account introduces increased privacy and security risks.

The EDPB, an independent institution with the goal of ensuring consistent application and enforcement of data protection laws across the European Economic Area (EEA), has adopted recommendations clarifying when online websites can require their users to create an account.

“Following the analysis of various use cases, the EDPB finds that imposing the creation of an online user account can be justified only for a very limited – though non-exhaustive – set of purposes, such as offering a subscription service or providing access to exclusive offers,” the document says.

As a general rule, the EDPB argues, customers should have the option to engage with online webshops, including making purchases, without needing to create an account. Users should be given the option to purchase products using a guest account or to create an account voluntarily.

“This approach minimizes the collection and processing of personal data, and therefore aligns with the GDPR’s principle of data protection by design and by default,” the European data protection supervisor states.

The recommendations are subject to public consultation, providing stakeholders with the opportunity to comment and provide feedback.

Unlock more exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.