Seven departments introduce new regulations, which are ＂strict＂ and ＂fine＂. Live broadcast industry welcomes the big exam.

　　On April 23rd, the State Internet Information Office, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, State Taxation Administration of The People’s Republic of China, the State Administration of Market Supervision, and the State Administration of Radio and Television jointly issued the Measures for the Administration of Webcast Marketing (for Trial Implementation) (hereinafter referred to as the Measures), which included all kinds of subjects and online and offline elements of Webcast Marketing in the scope of supervision. The Measures shall come into force as of May 25th this year.

　　Webcast marketing is what people often say about live broadcast with goods. As a new business model and Internet format, live broadcast has developed rapidly in recent years, which has played a positive role in promoting employment, expanding domestic demand, boosting the economy and tackling poverty. At the same time, however, there are also some problems in the industry, such as improper words and deeds of live marketers, making use of minors to make profits by live broadcast, inadequate performance of the main responsibility of the platform, false propaganda and data fraud, frequent occurrence of counterfeit and shoddy goods, and difficulties in obtaining evidence for consumers’ rights protection, which need to be standardized urgently.

　　In order to standardize the development of the industry, many departments have made frequent efforts to rectify and standardize it, and relevant industry associations have also formulated self-discipline norms, which has played a great positive role in curbing the chaos in the industry. However, experts pointed out that at present, the responsibilities of the anchor and the platform are still unclear, and cross-departmental supervision is needed to standardize the live broadcast.

　　The relevant person in charge of the National Network Information Office pointed out that the "Measures" issued this time aimed at the "people, goods and fields" in the live delivery, and included all kinds of subjects "before and after the scenes" and "online and offline" elements into the scope of supervision. At the same time, it clearly refined the respective rights and responsibilities of the live marketing platform, live broadcast room operators, live broadcast marketers and other participants, further compacting the main responsibilities of all parties.

　　For the live broadcast marketing platform, while gaining profits and traffic through live broadcast, it also needs to bear the corresponding platform governance responsibility. The "Measures" have some innovations in compacting the main responsibility of the platform: First, it proposes preventive measures in advance, requiring the platform to take preventive measures such as arranging special personnel to conduct real-time inspections and extending the storage time of live broadcast content for key live broadcast rooms with a large number of fans and a large transaction amount. The second is to pay attention to the warning in the event, requiring the platform to establish a risk identification model, and take control measures such as pop-up tips, prominent signs, functions and traffic restrictions for behaviors with high risks and possibly affecting the physical and mental health of minors. The third is to emphasize punishment afterwards, requiring the platform to take measures such as blocking live broadcast, closing accounts, blacklisting, and joint punishment for violations of laws and regulations.

　　For live broadcast practitioners, the Measures propose that live broadcast marketers and live broadcast room operators are natural persons and should be at least 16 years old. Live broadcast room operators and live broadcast marketers are required to abide by laws, regulations, public order and good customs, release goods or service information truthfully, accurately and comprehensively, define eight red lines of live broadcast marketing behavior, highlight the management of five key links in live broadcast room, and verify the advertising compliance, live broadcast marketing place, interactive content management and commodity service provider information related to live broadcast marketing activities.

　　In view of the protection of consumers’ rights and interests, which is widely concerned by public opinion, the Measures have been strengthened in many places. For example, the live broadcast marketing platform should promptly handle public complaints and reports on illegal information content and marketing behavior. Consumers jump to other platforms to buy goods or accept services through links in live broadcast rooms, QR codes, etc. In case of disputes, relevant live broadcast marketing platforms should actively assist consumers to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests and provide necessary evidence and other support.

　　Generally speaking, the new regulations introduced this time are "strict" and "fine", which will bring positive guidance and norms to the industry. Both the platform and the anchor should conduct live broadcast activities in accordance with laws and regulations, and must not touch the red line of the law or infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. Otherwise, it will be punished accordingly.