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Government Announces New Guidelines To Curb Fake Reviews On E-Commerce Platforms
Writer: Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
India, 22 Nov 2022 12:47 PM GMT
Editor : Jayali Wavhal |
She writes about gender issues, human interest, and environment.
Creatives : Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
The standards will apply to any organisation that publishes consumer reviews online, including traders of products and services that gather reviews from their customers, a third party contracted by the supplier or an independent third party.
E-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart will have to voluntarily reveal all paid consumer reviews of the products and services offered by them, with the centre bringing in new guidelines to curb fake reviews and help customers make mindful decisions. However, the central government has restrained the publication of reviews that have been bought and/or written by people employed for that objective by the trader or third party concerned.
New Guidelines Issued By BIS
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms, formulated after comprehensive stakeholder consultations and to be enforced from November 25, will be voluntary, but the centre will consider making them mandatory in case the threat of fake reviews persists on online websites, as per a report by NDTV. Rohit Kumar Singh, the Consumer Affairs Secretary, stated on Monday that the BIS has prepared a new standard, 'IS 19000:2022' for Online Consumer Reviews -- Principles and Requirements for their Collection, Moderation and Publication. The standards will apply to any organisation that publishes consumer reviews online, including traders of products and services that gather reviews from their customers, a third party contracted by the supplier, or an independent third party.
Certification Process To Keep A Check
The Consumer Affairs Secretary said the BIS will roll out a certification process within 15 days to keep a check on whether an organisation is obeying these norms. E-commerce platforms can apply for it with the BSI. He said India is likely to be the first nation worldwide to develop a standard for online reviews, while many other countries struggle with handling fake reviews.
Since e-commerce implicates a virtual shopping experience without any opportunity to view or examine the product physically, consumers rely extensively on reviews posted on websites to see the experiences and opinions of users who have already purchased the products or services. However, fake reviews and star ratings mislead customers into purchasing online products and services.
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