Centre to develop framework to check fake reviews on e-commerce sites

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The move came a day after consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh held a meeting with various stakeholders on the issue of fake reviews on e-commerce platforms on Friday. During the meeting, issues related to “paid reviews, unverifiable reviews and absence of disclosure in case of incentivised reviews which make it challenging for consumers to recognise genuine reviews” were discussed.

The statement said, “DoCA in association with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) along with various stakeholders like e-commerce entities, consumer forums, law universities, lawyers, FICCI, CII, consumer rights activists and others in a meeting discussed the magnitude and roadmap ahead for fake reviews on websites.”

“Since e-commerce involves a virtual shopping experience without any opportunity to physically view or examine the product, consumers heavily rely on reviews posted on e-commerce platforms to see the opinion and experience of users who have already purchased the goods or service,” it said.

As per the statement, Singh said that traceability, by ensuring the authenticity of the reviewer, and the associated liability of the platform are the two key issues here. Also e-commerce players must disclose as to how they choose the “most relevant reviews” for display in a fair and transparent manner,” he said.

The statement further said, “All stakeholders agreed that the issue deserves to be monitored closely and appropriate framework governing fake reviews may be developed to address the issue for protection of consumer interest.”

“Stakeholders from e-commerce companies claimed that they have frameworks in place by which they monitor fake reviews and would be pleased to take part in developing a legal framework on the issue,” it said. The meeting was attended by additional secretary Nidhi Khare, joint secretary Anupam Mishra and other officials.

During the meeting, ASCI CEO Manisha Kapoor highlighted the categories of fake and misleading reviews and their impact on consumer interest.