Geo-Blocking is Widespread Throughout the EU

Initial findings from the European Commission's e-commerce sector inquiry show that geo-blocking is widespread throughout the EU. This is partly due to unilateral decisions by companies not to sell abroad, but also contractual barriers set up by companies that prevent consumers from shopping online across EU borders. The information was gathered by the Commission as part of its ongoing antitrust sector inquiry into the e-commerce sector, launched in May 2015. Their findings showed that 38% of responding retailers selling consumer goods and 68% of digital content providers blocked online content based on the user's geographical location, known as geo-blocking.