Commuters watch videos on their mobile phones as they travel in a suburban train in Mumbai, India, April 2, 2016.NEW DELHI — India launched a crackdown on Monday against fake consumer reviews and unverified ratings in a bid to make the online world and e-commerce more authentic and less misleading for users.
The government has drafted guidelines for companies from Alphabet Inc's Google, Meta Platform's Facebook and Instagram, and Amazon.com Inc to travel sites and food delivery apps that depend on reviews to validate products and services.Some companies have been criticised by consumers and industry experts for downplaying negative reviews, or accepting fake ratings, making the vetting process difficult for buyers."Feedback mechanisms such as reviews are essential for consumer interest.
The Department of Consumer Affairs set up a committee in June to develop a framework for checking fake and deceptive reviews in e-commerce, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said. "The new guidelines for online reviews are designed to drive increased transparency for both consumers and brands and promote information accuracy," said Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles, a community platform and pollster which made the initial submission to the Department of Consumer Affairs and was part of the committee drafting the guidelines.
If the guidelines become mandatory, companies could face action for unfair trade practice, for suppressing negative reviews or for enabling planting of fake reviews, Taparia said.