The European Union's Data Act entered full enforcement this week,
introducing new obligations for online publishers and platform operators
across all member states. The regulation requires that data generated through
the use of connected products and related services be made accessible to users
and third parties under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions.
For news publishers, the most immediate impact concerns how reader interaction
data — including article clicks, session duration and paywall engagement —
must be handled and disclosed. Publishers with fewer than 50 employees are
exempt from several provisions, but legal experts recommend all organisations
review their data handling policies regardless of size.