TRA to also shut down social media pages carrying out commercial activities without a licence.

Over the next few days, the Ministry of Economy, in conjunction with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), will be shutting down any pages carrying out commercial activities without a licence on social media networking sites.



This is to ensure a secure consumer environment for consumers online, said the director of Consumer Protection Dr Hashim Al Nuaimi at a press event held in Abu Dhabi, reported Al Bayan.



Al Nuaimi called on consumers to refrain from undertaking transactions on such unlicensed websites. He stressed that the ministry is currently in the process of coordinating with the TRA to shut these websites down.



The ministry has also decided to shut down unauthorized electronic commerce sites because consumers do not have adequate protection whilst undertaking such transactions.



Al Nuaimi stated that the ministry held several meetings with the relevant authorities coordinating the method of dealing with and shutting down such sites. Many such sites have been proven to be selling counterfeit as well as overpriced goods. The TRA will be carrying out these closures.



The ministry received several complaints regarding e-commerce sites about products that do not conform to specifications mentioned on the website. A lack of terms and conditions was also noticed, as well as the absence of licences for such establishments. E-commerce sites are also forced to follow all consumer protection laws.