Key Consumer Safety Law Turns One

Today the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) marked one-year since the INFORM Consumers Act went into effect, bringing transparency and accountability to online third-party marketplaces. The bipartisan legislation is a pivotal measure to safeguard consumers from unknowingly buying counterfeit or stolen goods online, and to protect businesses from having their stolen merchandise fenced online by organized retail crime rings.

"The INFORM Act is a critical piece of legislation for consumer and community safety. As retailers continue their fight against organized retail crime, the law provides a much-needed layer of accountability for bad actors and creates an environment of transparency in a previously dark web of fraudulent activity,” said RILA Sr. Executive Vice President of Public Policy Michael Hanson. “We remain grateful for Senators Durbin and Cassidy and Representatives Schakowsky and Bilirakis for recognizing the severity of the problem and being steadfast champions for a solution. There is still work to be done; we look forward to continued collaboration with retailers, law enforcement, and the FTC to ensure that INFORM is fully enforced and effective.”

In addition to requiring platforms to collect, verify, and disclose basic information about third-party sellers, INFORM gives the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general the authority to enforce the law via penalties and rulemaking if necessary. 

The INFORM Consumers Act passed Congress in bipartisan fashion December 2022, after long-fought advocacy by RILA and its members, as well as a broad and diverse coalition of consumer groups, manufacturers, intellectual property advocates and law enforcement officials. RILA continues to collaborate with an ecosystem of public and private stakeholders to address other spokes in the wheel of organized retail crime. The association’s latest effort, the Vibrant Communities Initiative, unites retailers and district attorneys to address the underlying issues driving crime in and around stores together, and ultimately, restore vibrancy to communities across the country. 

Tags

• Asset Protection
• Keeping Communities Safe
• Organized Retail Crime
• Public Policy