Internet sector anti-unfair competition regulation launched

China's top market regulator launched an anti-unfair competition regulation specialized for the internet industry on Saturday, so as to drive the healthy development of the country's booming digital economy sector.

According to the State Administration for Market Regulation, the new regulation clarified judging standards of different unfair competition behaviors in the Internet sector, especially in fake information and false advertising. It also listed several new forms of unfair competition behaviors, such as traffic hijacking and malicious data acquisition.

The regulation also noted that behaviors that infringe consumer rights in current online consumption, such as fake orders and manipulated reviews (sellers' deceitful techniques to boost ratings), will also be regulated.

Moreover, the regulator called on platform enterprises to take more responsibility in regulating unfair competition behavior, especially the abuse of data algorithms.

The new regulation for the internet industry, which is still a temporary regulation, will officially take effect in September, according to the SAMR.