The “Interim Provisions on Combating Unfair Competition on the Internet” came into effect on September 1. On the basis of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, acts of unfair competition on the Internet are classified, refined and sorted out, and new types of unfair competition acts carried out using technical means, such as reverse billing, illegal data acquisition, and discriminatory treatment, are regulated. The “Regulations” clarify the criteria for determining unfair competition on the Internet, lay out the bottom line and establish rules for the order of online competition. Setting rules is just the first step. To control unfair competition on the Internet, it is necessary to adopt precise policies and form joint efforts in response to the problem. The “Regulations” are departmental regulations issued by the market supervisory authority, but fighting unfair competition on the Internet is by no means a matter for the market supervisory authority alone. The administration of justice, Internet communications, industry and information technology departments should all act on their own initiative. Platform companies grasp massive amounts of data and connect a large number of actors. They are not only a key target for supervising unfair competition on the Internet, but also a key point in implementing collaborative governance. Platform companies should understand that a good level playing field will ultimately benefit all companies in it. In particular, it is necessary to strengthen regulation and management of competitive behavior within the platform, and regulate new common problems such as misuse of data algorithms to gain competitive advantage.

The “Interim Provisions on Combating Unfair Competition on the Internet” came into effect on September 1. On the basis of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, acts of unfair competition on the Internet are classified, refined and sorted out, and new types of unfair competition acts carried out using technical means, such as reverse billing, illegal data acquisition, and discriminatory treatment, are regulated. The “Regulations” clarify the criteria for determining unfair competition on the Internet, lay out the bottom line and establish rules for the order of online competition. Setting rules is just the first step. To control unfair competition on the Internet, it is necessary to adopt precise policies and form joint efforts in response to the problem. The “Regulations” are departmental regulations issued by the market supervisory authority, but fighting unfair competition on the Internet is by no means a matter for the market supervisory authority alone. The administration of justice, Internet communications, industry and information technology departments should all act on their own initiative. Platform companies grasp massive amounts of data and connect a large number of actors. They are not only a key target for supervising unfair competition on the Internet, but also a key point in implementing collaborative governance. Platform companies should understand that a good level playing field will ultimately benefit all companies in it. In particular, it is necessary to strengthen regulation and management of competitive behavior within the platform, and regulate new common problems such as misuse of data algorithms to gain competitive advantage.