India launch a crack down against fake reviews and unverified ratings in a bid to make online interaction and e-commerce more authentic and less misleading for users.
Indian government has draft a framework for companies ranging from Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platform’s Facebook and Instagram, Amazon.com, as well as travel sites or food delivery apps which depend on consumer reviews to validate products and services.
Positive reviews help generate sales and interest from potential buyers.
Some companies have criticise by consumers and various industry experts for downplaying negative reviews, or accepting fake ratings, making the vetting process difficult for buyers.
Department of Consumer Affairs set up a committee in June to develop a framework on checking fake and deceptive reviews in e-commerce, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said.
Full details of the proposal are not yet public.
Rohit Kumar Singh, secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, told reporters in New Delhi
“We do not want to bulldoze this. We will first see voluntary compliance of these guidelines. And if we see the menace continues to grow we may make this mandatory,”
The Bureau of Indian Standards will assess compliance, ministry said.
Online companies say they have internal checks in place to combat fake reviews, but currently failure to do so is not a compliance breach.
If the guidelines become mandatory, companies could face action for unfair trade practice, for suppressing negative reviews or for enabling planting of fake reviews.
