Article · AI translation
IT Home reported on October 28 that, according to Beijing's market regulator, Beijing has taken the lead in regulating internet marketing and promotional activities through industry self-discipline. Recently, the Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation organized 8 leading internet companies—Baidu, Ocean Engine, Tencent, Kuaishou, JD Group, Meituan, 360 and Phoenix New Media—to jointly sign the Internet Marketing and Promotion Self-Discipline Convention (the “Convention”). The move encourages platforms to proactively fulfill their primary responsibilities and provides an actionable, verifiable framework for industry self-discipline to support healthy, orderly development and help build an authentic, transparent, fair and orderly internet marketing ecosystem.
The Convention was formulated in accordance with laws and regulations including the Advertising Law, the E-Commerce Law, the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, and the Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising. It applies to the publication of commercial advertisements and the conduct of marketing and promotional activities through text and images, short videos, livestreams and other formats, and establishes 4 principles of self-discipline: sound value orientation, truthfulness, fair competition, and safety and compliance.
IT Home noted that the Convention sets out clear requirements for the entire process of marketing and promotion on platforms:
For qualification management, platforms must verify the identities, business qualifications and administrative permits of relevant parties, establish business records and update them regularly, and retain electronic data for no less than 3 years;
For content management, platforms must establish a review mechanism covering “prior review of qualifications and content, monitoring during activities, and follow-up inspections”;
For livestream marketing, livestream e-commerce platforms must review the qualifications of organizations and individuals, strengthen monitoring of livestream footage through inspections, and promptly address violations;
For the use of emerging technologies, when AI deep synthesis technology is used for commercial promotion, platforms must provide prominent labeling and must not use AI to create false information, produce false endorsements or infringe on the lawful rights and interests of others;
For the competitive environment, platforms must not make promotional claims that are inconsistent with reality or misleading, or promote unreasonably low prices that drive down the prices of goods or services, lower consumers' price expectations and affect the quality of industry development;
For the protection of consumer rights and interests, platforms must establish convenient channels for receiving complaints and handle consumer disputes promptly and appropriately;
For the protection of minors, platforms must not publish marketing content that harms minors' physical or mental health, induces inappropriate spending or encourages unsafe behavior.
In addition, the Convention specifies qualification rules and promotional requirements for key sectors including medical services, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health foods, education and training, financial services and wealth management, and real estate. It also sets out detailed provisions on advertising standards, including whether advertisements are identifiable as such, the use of absolute terms, misleading claims that use large and small print, and the citation of sources for referenced content.
The signatory platforms said they would strictly comply with laws, regulations and the Convention, establish and improve compliance systems, refine mechanisms for internal coordination and external communication, actively cooperate with relevant authorities in taking necessary measures against illegal or noncompliant conduct, provide data to assist investigations, and support law enforcement.