Thailand tightens e-commerce rules

New regulations to protect consumers

- SUCHIT LEESA-NGUANSUK

Thailand has increased oversight of digital marketplaces, adding rules for certain types of platforms in a bid to strengthen consumer protection and ensure responsible digital commerce.

The government vowed to supervise those deemed to be “high impact” platforms with a large number of consumers, seeking to address subpar products in an effort to protect the customer interest.

The proposed regulations target online marketplaces and social commerce platforms characterised by high transaction volumes or large user bases.

The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) held a meeting yesterday with digital platform operators to update them on their roles under the existing Digital Platform Services (DPS) royal decree published in the Royal Gazette on Dec 23, 2022.

The agency also drafted an organic law of the decree, which is a notification from the Digital Platform Services Committee (DPSC) assigning additional duties to digital marketplaces with specific characteristics as defined by Section 18(2) of the DPS decree.