On 25 Feb. 2023, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued the Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising (hereinafter the “Measures”, 互联网广告管理办法).
The Measures regulates commercial advertising activities which directly or indirectly market goods or services, through websites, web pages, Internet application programs, and other Internet media, in the form of scripts, images, audio, video, or other means, within the territory of China.
The Measures consists of 31 articles. Among others, the following points are noteworthy.
- Internet advertising shall be identifiable, enabling consumers to identify it as an advertisement.
- When promoting goods or services in the form of knowledge imparting, experience sharing, consumption evaluation, etc., accompanied by a shopping link or any other purchase method, the advertisement publishers shall clearly indicate “advertisement”.
- When publishing Internet advertisements in pop-ups or other forms, advertisers and publishers shall distinctively indicate the closing sign.
- Where Internet advertisements are published by algorithm-based recommendations or any other means, the rules related to the algorithm-based recommendation services and records of advertisement delivery, among others, shall be entered in the records of advertisements.
- When publishing Internet advertisements with links, advertisers, advertising agents, or publishers shall check the advertising content related to the advertisements to which the link leads.
Cover Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team