In a move to uphold transparency and fairness in the digital age, Italy's government on Tuesday unveiled a draft law aimed at stopping fake reviews across hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions, reported Reuters. The law, which needs parliamentary approval to come into force, introduces several hurdles for would-be reviewers. This will include providing verifiable ID and proof that they visited the place they want to share a review of. Further, reviews will have to be posted within two weeks of the visit in question and can be removed if they are untrue or, in any case, two years after they were posted. However, the bill did not explain who would decide if a critique was false.
The proposed law, which can be amended in parliament, will also outlaw reviews that are paid-for or sponsored via incentives.
As reported by Reuters, fake reviews are already illegal, but policing violations is difficult. The bill suggests giving the task of checking on reviews and handing out eventual fines to Italy's antitrust watchdog.
The draft regulations were welcomed by some industry lobbies, although there were concerns over privacy and fears that the ban on anonymous reviews might drastically reduce the number of online comments about hotels and restaurants.
"Fake reviews are a problem for fair competition between companies because they can have a big impact on sales, and are also a problem for consumers who can be misled," Michele Carrus, chairman of consumer association Federconsumatori, told Reuters, adding, "The problem needed to be addressed. It's difficult to do it the right way, but I'm confident we can achieve that during the parliamentary debate."
The implications for online reviews and consumer trust with this proposed legislation remain to be seen.
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