Regulations are meant to prevent EU companies charging different prices online for different countries GETTY IMAGESIrish consumers and businesses will no longer face restrictions when buying goods online based on their location. The EU’s “geo-blocking” regulations, which came into effect at the weekend, will prevent websites from blocking Irish customers from making purchases if the website is based in another EU member state. Geo-blocking is the practice of using technology to restrict access to cross-border sales online based on the user’s location. Businesses based in the EU are no longer allowed to limit access to customers from particular countries and they cannot automatically redirect them to a different online interface without their consent. Pat Breen, the trade and EU digital single market minister, said that the regulations provided “a clear, transparent and stable legal environment” for businesses and their customers,…

Source: The Times December 10, 2018 00:08 UTC