Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) is using artificial intelligence and web-scraping tools to identify misleading advertisements and product claims, including undisclosed mercury in beauty products and false claims of regulatory approval, its chairman has said.
CCP Chairman Farid Ahmad Tarar said the commission also monitors social media platforms and the Ad Library of Meta for questionable advertising. Suspected violations are documented and verified before being referred for possible enforcement action.
Tarar made the remarks at the First International Conference on Consumer Rights Protection in the Digital Era, held in Moscow on October 8-9. He said misleading claims harm consumers and give businesses that use deceptive marketing an unfair advantage over law-abiding competitors.
He said Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010, allows businesses to compete aggressively, but requires claims about price, quality, features and suitability to be truthful, verifiable and transparent.
Tarar cited CCP cases involving Strepsils, Dettol, Lifebuoy and the marketing of frozen dessert as dairy ice cream, which he said show how misleading claims distort consumer choices and competition.
He named anonymous online sellers, counterfeit products, misleading listings, cross-border transactions and the rapid spread of deceptive advertisements as the main challenges in digital markets. He said enforcement should be backed by business guidance and public awareness to encourage compliance.
On the sidelines of the conference, Tarar met Maxim Shaskolsky, head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, to discuss cooperation under a memorandum of understanding signed on November 27, 2025.
The agreement covers cartel investigations, abuse of market dominance, merger reviews, deceptive marketing and sector-wise competition assessments. The two sides discussed expert exchanges, training, consultations and joint research to strengthen cooperation between the regulators.
