France to ban unsolicited telemarketing calls
France is implementing a strict ban on unsolicited telemarketing calls to protect citizens from intrusive sales practices. Companies and individuals face significant fines for violating the new regulations, which require prior consumer consent.
Why it matters
Represents a significant shift in consumer privacy rights and regulatory enforcement against aggressive corporate marketing.
A woman using a laptop computer and making a phone call SIGRID OLSSON/PHOTOALTO / PHOTONONSTOP / SIGRID OLSSON/PHOTOALTO / PHOTONONSTOP France will ban unsolicited telemarketing calls next week under a new law aimed at protecting consumers from intrusive sales pitches and shielding vulnerable people from fraudulent commercial practices. The law backed by President Emmanuel Macron's government enters into force on Tuesday, August 11.
The government says the law is a response to years of consumer complaints. Authorities estimate that about three-quarters of people in France receive at least one unsolicited sales call every week, and many receive more. In 2024, 11 consumer organizations issued a joint call for a ban, denouncing "relentless harassment of consumers through countless unwanted telemarketing calls to both landlines and mobile phones – an intrusion that has become a regular part of their daily lives."
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