Soon, Online Merchants Must Get Certified by the Ministry

Each and every online merchants are no longer required to verify and validate themselves merely to e-commerce services and marketplace in which they station, but also to the government through the Ministry of Communication and Information as well. This latest regulation will come into force by the middle of this year.

As being cited from Kompas, Rudiantara commented, “According to last year’s Miniterial Decree, online merchants are only facilitated to register themselves. However, by the middle of this year, the Ministry will ask them to certify themselves.”

To enforce the certification, the Ministry will appoint an independent third party to be the certifier.

There has yet any single information regarding the points that will be put into consideration prior to certifying online merchants. Even so, we do expect that, at the very least, the institution will check the validity of owner’s identity and online merchant’s business body (if any), as well as ensure that the goods the merchants sell are physically available.

Such step is indeed unpopular as it may be too complicated to be implemented. However, should this maneuver could reduce the number of online fraud to the extent that the ‘bad guys’ will be reluctant in establishing online shops, then it worth a try. Even so, we do hope that the certification wouldn’t hold up the legitimate business or, even worst, be a new way extortion practice.