Pakistan’s competition regulator is expanding the use of artificial intelligence to strengthen consumer protection and improve competition enforcement, according to Competition Commission of Pakistan Chairman Farid Ahmad Tarar. Speaking at the First International Conference on Consumer Rights Protection in the Digital Era, held in Moscow on October 8 and 9, Tarar explained how CCP is using AI assisted analysis, web scraping technologies and digital monitoring tools to identify potentially misleading product claims and strengthen oversight of online marketplaces. He said the initiative supports the Commission’s broader efforts to promote fair competition while ensuring consumers receive accurate and transparent information about products and services. During the conference, organised by Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, Tarar highlighted the growing importance of technology driven regulatory approaches as digital commerce continues to expand across global markets.
The chairman explained that CCP’s surveillance system reviews online advertisements, product descriptions and consumer facing claims by combining AI assisted analysis with web scraping, Meta Ad Library monitoring and social media tracking. According to Tarar, the system can identify issues such as undisclosed mercury in beauty products, potentially misleading references to regulatory approvals and health related claims that require closer examination. Any potential concern is first supported through evidence collection and verification before it is considered for possible enforcement action. Referring to Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010, Tarar said businesses remain free to compete vigorously, provided that statements regarding price, quality, characteristics, suitability and other material product attributes are truthful, verifiable and transparent. He also referred to previous CCP enforcement matters involving products such as Strepsils, Dettol, Lifebuoy and the marketing of frozen dessert as dairy ice cream to illustrate how product representations can influence consumer decisions and competition. Tarar further noted that seller anonymity, non compliant online listings, counterfeit products, information gaps, cross border transactions and the rapid spread of online advertisements continue to present challenges for regulators, making preventive guidance and consumer awareness important alongside enforcement activities.
On the sidelines of the conference, Tarar also met Maxim Shaskolsky, Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation, to discuss implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between CCP and FAS on November 27, 2025. The discussions covered cooperation in cartel investigations, merger control, deceptive marketing, abuse of dominance and competition assessments across different sectors. Tarar said the agreement creates opportunities for expert exchanges, regulatory consultations, joint research and professional training between the two authorities. Shaskolsky welcomed continued institutional cooperation and expressed FAS’s readiness to share regulatory expertise with CCP. The engagement reflects Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen international collaboration in competition policy while adopting modern regulatory practices that can address increasingly complex digital market challenges.
Separately, CCP announced that its AI based Bid Rigging Detection System has received international recognition by being featured in the Computational Antitrust Worldwide: Fifth Cross Agency Report published by Stanford Computational Antitrust through the Social Science Research Network. According to the Commission, the report includes contributions from 30 competition authorities and examines how computational technologies are transforming enforcement capabilities beyond traditional manual methods. CCP stated that BRDS is designed to shift cartel detection in public procurement from a complaint driven process to systematic, data led market surveillance capable of identifying sophisticated bidding patterns, including bid rotation, cover bidding and related party participation across multiple tenders. Pakistan is estimated to spend approximately 15 to 20 percent of its Gross Domestic Product, or around 60 billion US dollars annually, on public procurement, making automated analysis increasingly important. CCP said the system has reached an advanced stage of development and pre deployment preparation, with implementation understandings already established with Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, provincial procurement authorities and SECP. Tarar noted that monitoring procurement worth trillions of rupees through manual reviews alone is no longer practical, adding that BRDS will help investigators focus on higher risk cases through proactive screening, earlier identification of unusual bidding patterns and evidence based prioritisation of investigations while strengthening transparency across Pakistan’s procurement ecosystem.
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