In a bid to address the issue of fake reviews, the union government plans to make it mandatory for e-commerce platforms to comply with quality consumer review norms.
According to a report by news agency PTI, Nidhi Khare, the secretary of consumer affairs, mentioned that despite the Centre issuing voluntary standards on “online reviews” in late-2022, fake reviews on ecommerce sites still manage to “slip through.”
Khare stated, “It has been over a year since the voluntary standard on ‘online reviews’ was introduced. While some entities assert compliance, fake reviews persist in publication. To prioritize consumer protection, we aim to make these standards compulsory.”
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According to the report, the Department of Consumer Affairs has arranged a meeting later this week (on May 15) with prominent ecommerce companies and consumer organizations to deliberate on the proposed action.
It’s worth noting that in 2022, the Centre introduced a framework aimed at safeguarding consumers’ interests by combating fake and misleading reviews on ecommerce platforms.
Formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards, the framework prohibits reviews that are “purchased and/or authored by individuals employed specifically for that purpose by the supplier or a third party.” Additionally, the quality standards for ecommerce entities require the disclosure of promotional content and paid reviews.
However, the framework operates on a voluntary basis. Nevertheless, the Ministry appears to have intensified its efforts and is now poised to take action against such violations in the interest of consumers.
This development comes a few months after reports surfaced that the government was considering making it mandatory for ecommerce sites to adopt a system to curb fake reviews. At that time, the former consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh underscored the need for authenticating product reviews and developing standards to manage and prevent fake reviews.
The latest move is a part of the government’s attempts to safeguard online shoppers’ interests. The Department of Consumer Affairs prohibited e-commerce platforms from using “dark patterns” in their user interfaces in June of last year.
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Authorities first sent a letter to major ecommerce platforms warning of repercussions if noncompliance continued, and then hinted at the intention of issuing guidelines if the industry did not comply voluntarily. In December 2023, the guidelines for dark patterns were finally released.
Among these dark patterns are false urgency, subscription traps, confirm shaming, forced action, bait and switch, and hidden costs.
According to an ASCI report, approximately 29% of the advertising complaints it handled during 2021-22 involved dark patterns and were endorsed by influencers. Industries such as crypto, fashion, and ecommerce topped the list in terms of such violations.