E-commerce marketing · Industry brief

China has proposed an amendment to its E-Commerce Law to modernize the legal framework for digital commerce, expanding regulatory scope beyond traditional e-commerce platforms to include social media, livestreaming, and content-commerce platforms. The draft amendment strengthens platform responsibilities by establishing that platform liability should match the type of services provided, with platforms expected to take greater responsibility for preventing illicit trade, improving transparency, and addressing harm. Key changes include expanded regulatory scope to address emerging business models like livestreaming commerce and social commerce, increased penalties for online counterfeiting, and emphasis on coordinated regulation among enforcement authorities to improve supervisory consistency. The amendment seeks to balance innovation, consumer protection, fair competition, and market governance while addressing structural gaps such as real-time takedown channels and searchable archives of livestream content. INTA submitted formal comments on the draft amendment earlier in August 2026, supporting the broader regulatory approach and increased platform accountability measures.

Apple has modified its App Store policies in Europe following regulator findings that its restrictions on alternative app distribution and external payment methods were limiting competition. The changes address enforcement action against Apple's previous practices that blocked market alternatives.

Connecticut's attorney general announced that TaxAct settled allegations of sharing sensitive taxpayer information with Meta and Google through site tracking technologies. TaxAct will pay $275,000 and implement new policies to manage tracking technologies on its platform. (Source: Law360)