Consumers are being blocked from accessing websites and apps from other parts of the European Union despite a law designed to prevent that happening.

The EU’s watchdog, the European Court of Auditors, says consumers are still being discriminated against based on their nationality and place of residence.

The Geo-blocking Regulation was passed in 2018 specifically to insist on “equal access to websites”.

Copyrighted material such as videos on streaming platforms and gaming sites are exempt from the law.

The European Parliament has called for that to be reviewed and auditors agreed that the EU should examine this.

“Geo-blocking limits consumers’ opportunities and choices, causing a lot of customer dissatisfaction and raising barriers to the free exchange of goods and services in the EU’s digital single market,” said Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz from the European Court of Auditors.

The law allows national authorities to fine websites and apps that are unjustifiably using geo-blocking.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is responsible for enforcing the law in Ireland.