What is rosca (restore online shoppers confidence act)?

ROSCA is a 2010 federal law making it illegal to charge a consumer online through a negative-option feature — where inaction is treated as agreement to be charged — unless the seller clearly discloses the terms, gets express informed consent, and provides a simple cancellation method. The FTC enforces it, and it also underlies private class actions over hidden auto-renewal or trial-to-paid-subscription traps.

ROSCA has become the FTC's primary tool for subscription-cancellation enforcement now that the newer Click-to-Cancel rule has been vacated in court, since ROSCA's core requirements were never affected by that ruling. Consumer class actions alleging deceptive free-trial or auto-renewal practices frequently cite ROSCA alongside state auto-renewal statutes, since many states have their own versions with similar disclosure and cancellation requirements. It applies specifically to online commerce and negative-option billing, not to subscriptions generally.

Last reviewed 2026-08-22.