Hakan Çevikoğlu, President of the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETİD), announced that under the "Regulation Amending the Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices," fundamental changes in the e-commerce sector will come into force as of August 1.
Çevikoğlu stated that the regulation introduces new rules in areas such as digital marketing, artificial intelligence, social media content creators, discount sales, and environmental claims. In the same statement, he underlined that the Electronic Commerce Law also needs to be updated to strengthen Turkey's position in global competition.
Consumer protection prioritized
The new regulation aims to protect consumers more effectively against deceptive advertisements. Çevikoğlu said, "From targeted advertising to ads created with artificial intelligence, from promotions made through social media content creators to discount sales ads, consumers will now have a stronger shield of protection in many areas."
Comprehensive rules have also been introduced for the first time regarding targeted advertising based on the analysis of online behavior and personal data. Conditional sales campaigns will now be subject to the same rules as discount sales ads, ensuring that the benefits provided to consumers are communicated more clearly.
Reference price for discounts defined
In discount sales ads, the reference price for the discount has been defined as the lowest price applied in the last 10 days before the start date of the discount. Additionally, social media content creators will be required to clearly use the term "advertisement" or "promotion" in posts where they receive any earnings, discounted products, or benefits.
Çevikoğlu stated, "These steps will increase transparency in digital advertising, protect consumers, and strengthen fair competition in the sector." Meanwhile, the scope of bans on advertisements for services such as fortune-telling, mediumship, and astrology, as well as illegal betting and gambling games, has been expanded; illegal games of chance have also been included.
AI-generated ads will be identifiable
The regulation also covers ads featuring digital characters created using artificial intelligence that are indistinguishable from humans. It has become mandatory for such ads to be clearly, understandably, and distinguishably indicated. Çevikoğlu said, "Inspections will continue resolutely against practices that mislead consumers and exploit their lack of knowledge and experience."
Additionally, the 72-hour period granted to sellers or providers for the right to respond before consumer complaints are published has been reduced to 48 hours. If no response is given within this period, the evaluation will be published directly.
Çevikoğlu added that they hope August 1 will be a milestone of transformation for the e-commerce sector.
