Research on the Protection of Consumers' Right to Know in Live Streaming

: This article studies the protection of consumers' right to know in live streaming sales. Firstly, the rise and development trend of live streaming sales in the e-commerce field were outlined, and the challenges faced by consumers' right to know in the process of live streaming sales were analyzed, such as information asymmetry, false advertising, and product quality issues. Next, the importance of protecting consumers' right to know and its impact on consumers, businesses, and the market were discussed. Finally, measures were proposed to improve the protection of consumers' right to know, including strengthening regulatory measures, improving laws and regulations, and promoting platform responsibility, in the hope of providing some reference for consumers.


Introduction
In recent years, with the rapid development of the Internet and the popularization of mobile internet technology, live streaming and sales have become a popular model in the e-commerce field. Live streaming sales enable consumers to receive real-time product displays and recommendations during the shopping process through the real-time video transmission and interactive functions of the live streaming platform. However, with it comes the issue of protecting consumers' right to know. The special nature and information dissemination methods of live streaming products pose challenges to consumers' right to know. Therefore, studying how to protect consumers' right to know and promote the sustainable development of live streaming products has important theoretical and practical significance.

The importance of consumers' right to know in live streaming sales
Live streaming sales, as an emerging e-commerce model, are rapidly emerging and attracting more and more consumers to participate. However, in this field full of opportunities and challenges, the protection of consumers' right to know has increasingly highlighted its importance. The right to know of consumers refers to the right of consumers to obtain sufficient, accurate, and true information before purchasing goods or services, and to be able to make rational decisions. In live streaming sales, protecting consumers' right to know is not only crucial for consumers themselves, but also has a profound impact on the healthy development of businesses and the market. Firstly, the protection of consumers' right to know is the foundation for maintaining fair transactions. In live streaming sales, consumers rely on the recommendation and display of the anchor to make purchasing decisions. Therefore, the information conveyed by the anchor to consumers must be accurate and truthful, and there must be no false promotion or misleading information. Only when consumers have sufficient right to know can they conduct transactions on a fair basis and avoid damaging consumer interests due to information asymmetry. Secondly, the protection of consumers' right to know helps them to consume reasonably and reduce risks. The characteristic of live streaming sales is real-time interaction and display, where consumers can learn about the actual effects and usage methods of products by watching live streaming. If consumers lack accurate information during the purchasing process, it may lead to misjudgment and unnecessary consumption, increasing economic risks. By protecting consumers' right to know, consumers can better understand the characteristics and quality of goods, reduce dissatisfaction and return rates after purchase.

The issue of consumers' right to know in live streaming sales
Asymmetric information is an important issue facing consumers' right to know in live streaming sales. In the process of live streaming sales, anchors, as media for information transmission, have more information and understanding about products. Consumers often can only understand products through the presentation and recommendations of anchors, and cannot obtain comprehensive and objective information. This information asymmetry leads consumers to face uncertainty and insufficient information when making purchasing decisions, thereby increasing consumption risks and the possibility of regret. False advertising is another prominent issue facing consumers' right to know in live streaming sales. In order to attract consumers and increase sales, some anchors may exaggerate the advantages, effects, or conceal the defects and risks of products. [1] Consumers may hear inaccurate or inaccurate promotional language during live streaming, leading to incorrect perceptions of product performance, quality, and applicability. This false advertising not only misleads consumers' purchasing decisions, but may also lead to economic losses or improper use by consumers. In addition, product quality issues are also a major concern for consumers' right to know in live streaming sales. Due to the unique nature of live streaming sales, consumers cannot personally touch or try out products, and can only judge their quality through the host's display and description. However, some anchors may choose to intentionally hide the true condition of the product, such as substandard quality, functional defects, etc. When consumers purchase goods of inferior quality or that do not match the promotion, their rights and interests are infringed upon, which not only causes economic losses, but may also have a negative impact on consumer trust and consumption experience.

Establish and improve the regulatory mechanism for the live streaming and sales industry
We should establish a sound regulatory mechanism for the live streaming and sales industry to protect consumers' right to know. Government departments should strengthen supervision of the live streaming sales industry, formulate relevant laws and regulations, and clarify the obligations and responsibilities of live streaming sales practitioners. At the same time, establish industry self-discipline organizations, formulate industry norms and codes of conduct, guide live streaming sales practitioners to abide by the principles of fairness, impartiality, and integrity, and ensure that consumers' right to know is effectively protected. For example, government departments can establish specialized regulatory agencies in the live streaming sales industry to oversee the behavior of live streaming sales practitioners. The institution needs to conduct regular spot checks on live streaming sales programs, punish live streaming sales practitioners who engage in illegal and irregular activities such as exaggerated or false advertising, and disclose relevant information to consumers to improve their awareness of the live streaming sales industry. In addition, supervision of the quality of live streaming products should also be strengthened.

Improving the effectiveness of platform auditing and supervision
Live streaming sales platforms should establish a comprehensive content review mechanism, increase manual and technical review efforts, and promptly detect and handle inappropriate behaviors such as false promotion and exaggerated sales in live streaming sales programs. For example, live streaming sales platforms can use artificial intelligence technology to monitor the broadcaster's promotional comments in real-time during live streaming sales programs. Once a broadcaster is found to have false advertising behavior, the system will automatically alarm and push relevant information to the platform's reviewers for timely processing. The reviewers can conduct in-depth investigations into suspected violations of live streaming sales programs, collect evidence, and take corresponding punishment measures, such as suspending or canceling live streaming sales qualifications, reducing recommendation weights, etc. At the same time, the platform should also strengthen the training and guidance of anchors, enhance their awareness of compliance in advertising and sales behavior, and avoid the occurrence of violations. In addition, in order to strengthen regulatory effectiveness, live streaming platforms should establish close cooperation mechanisms with relevant departments, industry associations, etc. Share information resources, exchange what is needed, and form a regulatory synergy. [2] Through multi-party cooperation, we will jointly strengthen the supervision and regulation of the live streaming and sales industry, and protect consumers' right to know. For example, a live streaming platform in a certain country has established cooperation mechanisms with consumer associations, industry and commerce administrative departments, and e-commerce industry associations. The platform regularly communicates and exchanges with these institutions, jointly develops and improves regulatory policies and measures, and jointly crack down on illegal activities such as false advertising and fraudulent sales. Through joint efforts, certain results have been achieved, enhancing consumers' trust in the live streaming sales industry.

Develop relevant laws and regulations to protect consumers' right to know
In order to protect consumers' right to know, relevant laws and regulations should be formulated. Firstly, the responsibilities of live streaming platforms and hosts should be clearly defined. Legislatures can stipulate that live streaming platforms must provide true and accurate product information, and bear regulatory responsibility for the broadcaster's promotional behavior. For example, requiring the platform to indicate the source, accuracy, and authenticity of product information on the product page. Secondly, efforts should be made to strengthen the supervision and law enforcement of merchants. Develop regulations that prohibit merchants from concealing important information such as product quality, functionality, and scope of application in live streaming sales, and require merchants to provide authentic images and detailed descriptions of the products. In this way, consumers can have a more accurate understanding of the product and increase their right to know when purchasing it. When formulating laws and regulations, consideration should also be given to establishing complaint and arbitration mechanisms. When consumers encounter false advertising or product quality issues during live streaming, there should be a convenient way to resolve disputes. A dedicated complaint platform can be established to accept consumer complaints and promptly investigate and handle them. In addition, arbitration institutions can be established to resolve disputes fairly and efficiently, in order to protect the rights and interests of consumers. For example, a certain country can establish regulations that require live streaming platforms to indicate the source, accuracy, and authenticity of products on their product display pages, and clarify the platform's regulatory responsibility for the broadcaster's promotional behavior. Require merchants to provide authentic product images, detailed descriptions, and accurate product information in live streaming sales, establish an independent consumer complaint platform, accept consumer complaints, and establish a specialized investigation agency to handle complaints in a timely manner. For complaints of false advertising and product quality issues, arbitration institutions can be introduced for fair and efficient resolution to protect consumers' right to know. By formulating relevant laws and regulations, clarifying the responsibilities of platforms and broadcasters, and establishing complaint and arbitration mechanisms, consumers' right to know can be effectively protected. These measures can promote the protection of consumers' right to know in live streaming sales, enhance consumer trust, and promote the healthy development of the live streaming sales industry. [3]

Strengthen legal sanctions against false advertising and product quality issues
In addition to formulating laws and regulations, legal sanctions against false advertising and product quality issues should also be strengthened. In response to false advertising, penalties can be increased and the amount of fines imposed on broadcasters and merchants can be increased. For example, for broadcasters and merchants who intentionally publish false promotional information, a certain proportion of sales revenue can be fined to serve as a deterrent. A blacklist system can be established to restrict or prohibit broadcasters and merchants who repeatedly violate regulations from engaging in related activities on live streaming platforms. For product quality issues, relevant quality supervision standards and testing procedures should be strictly implemented. A comprehensive product quality sampling system can be established to conduct regular inspections of products in live streaming products to ensure that they meet quality standards. For products found to have quality issues, merchants can be punished, including fines, suspension of business for rectification, and other measures. At the same time, merchants are required to bear corresponding compensation responsibilities. In order to enhance the effectiveness of legal sanctions, cross departmental and cross platform information sharing mechanisms can be established. Live streaming involves multiple departments and platforms, and information sharing can improve the efficiency and accuracy of regulation. Relevant departments can share clues and case information related to false advertising and product quality issues, and strengthen cooperation to crack down on illegal activities. In order to make the above measures more effective, it is necessary to strengthen regulatory and law enforcement capabilities.

Strengthen platform responsibility awareness and subject responsibility
Live streaming platforms should strengthen their sense of responsibility and clearly assume the main responsibility of the platform. The platform can formulate relevant rules and regulations, clearly requiring broadcasters and merchants to provide true and accurate product information, and supervising promotional activities. The platform can require broadcasters to provide key information such as product sources, quality, and functionality during the live broadcast process, and impose penalties on broadcasters for publishing false advertising, such as suspending accounts and reducing exposure. In addition, the platform can also strengthen the review and management of anchors and merchants, ensuring that they have the necessary qualifications and reputation, and prevent the occurrence of false advertising and fraudulent behavior. The platform can establish strict merchant access mechanisms, requiring merchants to provide legal business qualifications and product quality assurance. For broadcasters and merchants' violations, the platform should take timely action, including warnings, fines, termination of cooperation, and other measures to deter them. For example, a live streaming platform may require the anchor to display relevant information about the product on the screen, such as brand, place of origin, main ingredients, functional features, etc. during product display. The platform can also require merchants to provide real pictures and detailed descriptions of products, ensuring that consumers can accurately understand the characteristics and performance of the products. If broadcasters and merchants are found to provide false information or engage in violations, the platform should take corresponding punitive measures in a timely manner to protect consumers' right to know. In addition, the platform can also strengthen communication and interaction with consumers, improving the platform's transparency and trust. The platform can regularly publish promotional information on consumer rights protection, reminding consumers to pay attention to the accuracy and authenticity of product information. At the same time, the platform can establish a dedicated customer service team to promptly respond to consumer questions and complaints, actively solve consumer problems, and enhance consumer confidence and satisfaction with the platform. In summary, live streaming platforms should strengthen their sense of responsibility and clearly assume the main responsibility of the platform. By formulating rules and regulations, strengthening audit management, and strengthening communication with consumers, measures can promote the implementation of platform responsibilities and protect consumers' right to know. These measures will help improve the reputation and reputation of live streaming platforms, and promote the healthy development of the industry.

Establish an effective mechanism for user complaints and rights protection
Establishing a user complaint and rights protection mechanism can enable consumers to easily file complaints and obtain timely and effective solutions. The platform can establish specialized complaint channels and rights protection platforms to ensure that consumers can easily submit complaints and rights protection requests. In terms of user complaints, the platform can establish an online complaint system to provide consumers with a convenient complaint channel. [4] Consumers can submit complaint information through the online form or customer service hotline provided by the platform, and request the platform to respond and handle it within a certain period of time. The platform should establish a dedicated complaint handling team to promptly investigate the situation of complaints. For complaints involving false advertising and product quality issues, the platform should actively cooperate with relevant merchants to investigate and handle, and provide timely feedback on the handling results to consumers to ensure that their legitimate rights and interests are protected. In terms of rights protection mechanisms, the platform can provide multiple channels for consumers to choose from, such as negotiation and mediation, arbitration, or legal litigation. The platform can cooperate with relevant legal institutions to establish convenient arbitration institutions or guide consumers to apply for rights protection from relevant departments. In addition, the platform can also provide consumer education and guidance, provide knowledge and skills to consumers, and help them better protect their rights. For example, a live streaming sales platform can establish a dedicated rights protection platform to provide consumers with online complaints and rights protection services. Consumers can submit complaints through this platform and choose appropriate solutions, such as negotiation, mediation, or arbitration. The platform should ensure that the complaint and rights protection process is concise and clear, the response is timely and effective, and actively cooperate with relevant institutions for investigation and handling.

Conclusion
As an emerging consumption model, live streaming sales have brought convenience and choices to consumers, while also raising the issue of protecting consumers' right to know. This article explores the importance, problems, and solutions of consumers' right to know in live streaming sales. By strengthening regulatory measures, improving laws and regulations, and promoting platform responsibility, consumers' right to know can be effectively protected, and the fairness and healthy development of the market can be maintained. Only under the premise of protecting consumers' right to know, can live streaming products truly play a positive role, provide consumers with a better shopping experience, and promote the sustainable development of the e-commerce market.