The Polish competition authority, UOKiK, has announced a new sanction system aimed at addressing market behaviors that are socially burdensome. This system introduces alternative penalties, including units of embarrassment, referred to as 'krindżons', in addition to traditional financial fines.

A senior UOKiK official stated that some market practices are more socially damaging than financially harmful. The new sanctions are designed to impact dishonest businesses more severely by affecting their public image and psychological comfort. The idea is that justice should sometimes be painful or at least embarrassing.

The proposed measures include assigning a specific number of krindżons for various violations, such as misleading marketing practices, deceptive promotions, and undisclosed advertising collaborations. For instance, a misleading '50% off' promotion could result in seven krindżons and a requirement to write 'We overstepped' a hundred times in front of UOKiK's office.

Other examples include penalties for eco-deceptive marketing, subscription traps, and false scarcity messages. The enforcement of these penalties will be immediate, with no right to appeal. UOKiK is also encouraging public discussion on the effectiveness of these new sanctions through their social media channels.