The Ministry of SAMT, in a letter to the Union of Virtual Businesses, has requested the suspension of operations and the emblem of the Divar and Sheypoor platforms.
Divar and Sheypoor: We have not received any letter
According to IDEA, a letter has been sent by the Deputy Ministry of Trade and Services at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to the Union of Virtual Businesses, in which the Union has been requested to suspend the activities of the Wall and Spear platforms and put their business emblems in a suspended state. This request stems from the fact that these platforms, namely Sheypoor and Divar, have not adhered to the specific regulations for posting advertisements on online platforms.
The letter, addressed to the Union, highlights that the Oversight Committee for Network Marketing Companies and Virtual Businesses has thoroughly examined the operations of these two platforms. Ultimately, it was determined that both Divar and Sheypoor failed to comply with the specified regulations.
Notably, the letter does not specify whether the Ministry of Culture and Tourism had previously communicated with these platforms regarding housing pricing models and the appropriate manner of providing price-related information.
During the annual e-commerce report session, Deputy Minister of SAMT, Alireza Shahmirzai, announced without direct reference to the communication sent by his ministry to the Union of Virtual Businesses, that on multiple occasions, warnings have been issued to platforms such as Divar and Sheypoor. However, these platforms have disregarded our warnings. He emphasized that should any issues arise for these platforms; no objections should be raised.
In this session, he stated that, in accordance with the regulations provided to these platforms, all users must verify their identity and eligibility on these platforms. No one should be allowed to advertise vehicles or properties belonging to others. He requested domestic platforms to facilitate data exchange among users, similar to the ‘blue tick’ feature available on foreign platforms.
Shahmirzai highlighted that they have been holding regular sessions with these platforms for nearly three months.
In the 11th session of the Supreme Housing Council, the Minister of Economy also reported on certain violations by real estate advertisement platforms, stating that these platforms are not adhering to government mandates in this field. The Chief of Police has also raised objections regarding the violations of these platforms. In response to these remarks, the President stated that unions should oversee these platforms.
In the Supreme Housing Council session, Minister of Economy, Ehsan Khandouzi, requested a multi-step approach to penalize these platforms for a range of offenses in accordance with their violations. Initially, fines should be imposed, followed by suspension of their activities.
The President emphasized in this session that, in the first step, platform oversight must be carried out by the unions themselves. The law mandates that professional unions should be responsible for preventing any misconduct by their members toward the public. He stressed the necessity of regulating these platforms in a manner that prevents price manipulation and profiteering.
This marks yet another instance in which advertisement platforms and online venues are criticized for contributing to the rising prices of goods in the country. Last year, following a sudden increase in car prices, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism compelled them to remove prices from their platforms.
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