New E-Commerce Norms To Focus On Consumer Care, Promote Level Playing Field For Businesses

New Delhi, Oct 6 (KNN) The government is close to finalising certain revisions in the laws applicable to the e-commerce industries, reported Zee Business stating a source.

The revised norms may seek to increase focus on consumer care, promote a level playing field for the businesses, and define the scope of responsibilities for large platforms.

As per the report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may soon hold a meeting with all stakeholders, including industry players and associations.

The revised norms are expected to include provisions to ensure that e-commerce platforms are restricted from promoting the brands of its holding or parent companies, reported Zee Business. Other provisions may include, a level playing field for emerging platforms, only registered platforms will be permitted to sell goods, and Platforms will cover aspects such as the quality of registered products and aftersales services and many more.

Earlier, the government urged the public to share comments by October 5 on its draft guidelines for the prevention and regulation of dark patterns in a bid to protect the interest of consumers, and listed a host of deceptive practices being adopted by online platforms in the nature of dark patterns, which are user interfaces specially crafted to trick users into performing unintended tasks such as making a purchase.

Under its draft guidelines, the Centre defined and illustrated with examples certain specified dark patterns in order to bring more clarity on the matter, and to identify and regulate the practices that tend to manipulate or alter consumer choices.

Those guidelines will be issued under Section 18 (2) (l) of the Consumer Protection Act 2019.  (KNN Bureau)