ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s competition watchdog is using AI-assisted analysis and web-scraping to track potentially deceptive product claims, flagging concerns over undisclosed mercury in beauty products, misleading regulatory approvals and questionable health representations, CCP Chairman Farid Ahmad Tarar has disclosed.
The technology-enabled surveillance system also uses Meta Ad Library and social-media monitoring to examine online advertisements, product descriptions and consumer-facing claims. Potential concerns undergo evidence capture and verification before referral for possible enforcement action.
Tarar shared the details while representing Pakistan at the First International Conference on “Consumer Rights Protection in the Digital Era,” held in Moscow on October 8–9.
The conference was organised by Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing.
Addressing a session on responsible business and safe products, the chairman said effective competition and consumer welfare were closely connected. False or unsubstantiated claims not only mislead buyers but may also divert demand away from compliant businesses, giving an unfair advantage to firms that compete through deception.
Referring to Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010, Tarar said businesses had the right to compete vigorously, but claims concerning a product’s price, quality, characteristics, suitability and other material attributes must be truthful, verifiable and transparent.
He cited CCP enforcement cases involving Strepsils, Dettol, Lifebuoy and the marketing of frozen dessert as dairy ice cream to demonstrate how misleading representations could affect consumer choice and distort competition.
The chairman identified seller anonymity, counterfeit and non-compliant online listings, information asymmetry, cross-border transactions and the rapid spread of misleading advertisements as major digital-market challenges. He said enforcement needed to be supported by preventive measures, business guidance and public awareness to encourage voluntary compliance.
During the visit, Tarar also held a bilateral meeting with Maxim Shaskolsky, head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation, and his team. Discussions focused on operationalising the CCP–FAS memorandum of understanding signed on November 27, 2025, covering cartel investigations, abuse of dominance, merger control, deceptive marketing and sectoral competition assessments.
Tarar said the agreement provided a foundation for expert exchanges, training, consultations and joint research. Shaskolsky welcomed the continued institutional engagement and expressed FAS’s readiness to share regulatory experience and advance practical cooperation with CCP.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026