Supamas Pushes for Strict Online Platform Control and Consumer Compensation
The government is promoting a shared responsibility framework and class-action lawsuits to tackle unsafe and misleading online products.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Supamas emphasizes that online platforms must share responsibility for unsafe goods
- Pushing for legal reforms to establish shared responsibility between sellers and platforms
- Tasked OCPB to study class-action lawsuits to assist small-scale consumers
- National action plan workshop held on July 31, 2026, to integrate agency cooperation
Online shopping in the current landscape often exposes consumers to substandard, unsafe, or deceptively advertised products, frequently leaving victims without proper compensation. Addressing this issue has become a vital priority for the government to step up consumer protection efforts.
Tackling this challenge requires looking beyond individual sellers and examining the entire e-commerce supply chain, particularly digital platforms that act as intermediaries connecting sellers and buyers while profiting directly from system transactions.
Implementing a Shared Responsibility framework for digital platforms aligns with global regulatory trends, such as the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), which holds platforms accountable for filtering and managing illegal goods on their networks rather than leaving the burden solely on consumers or small merchants.
Although the Office of the Consumer Protection Board currently faces legal limitations in directly shutting down or suspending online platforms, policymakers are pursuing legal amendments and regulatory mechanisms to mandate platform involvement in preventing, halting, and compensating damages, alongside effectively penalizing errant merchants.
Furthermore, Supamas has instructed the OCPB to explore the implementation of class-action lawsuits for situations where numerous consumers suffer identical damages, facilitating better access to justice and reducing the burden on individual small-scale victims.
This initiative continues the government policy under Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, which aims to drive digital economic growth alongside safeguarding citizens' rights. On July 31, 2026, the OCPB hosted a workshop at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce to formulate a national action plan under the integrated online product consumer protection project, defining institutional roles, key performance indicators, and collaborative mechanisms nationwide.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"The primary goal of this policy is not to increase burdens on the business sector, but to create a balance between promoting the digital economy and protecting consumer rights, ensuring that citizens can shop online with confidence while honest entrepreneurs benefit from a transparent and fair market."
Supamas
Source: Matichon Politics
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