Italy’s government is plotting a new law designed to crack down on fake and paid reviews that are duping tourists.
It has announced a draft law that would regulate online reviews of hotels, restaurants and tourists attractions, if passed. law has been proposed in a bid to stop fake or paid reviewers of hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions.
The law still needs parliamentary approval to come into force, but it would introduce a number of hurdles to individuals trying to leave reviews. Reviewers would need to provide verifiable ID, and proof that they visited the place they wish to share their view on.
Under the law all reviews will need to be posted within two weeks of the visit, and they can be removed if it is found to be untrue up to two years after they were posted.
(
Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
However, the bill does not explain who would decide whether the reviews are false. The law would also outlaw reviews that have been paid for or sponsored via incentives.
“Today marks an important step for the protection of our businesses,” said Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche, according to RTE.
Whilst fake reviews are already illegal in Italy, policing fake reviews can be difficult. The proposed bill would make the task of checking on reviews and handing out eventual fines a responsibility of Italy’s anti-trust watchdog.
The draft law was welcomed by some industry lobbies, however, there were also concerns raised over privacy and fears that the ban on anonymous reviews could drastically reduce the number of online comments about hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions overall.
“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,” commented Michele Carrus, chairman of consumer association Federconsumatori.
“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 Guardian reported in 2023 that whilst fake online reviews have existed for a long time, in the past few years the rise of artificial intelligence has caused an increase in the amount of reviews that are not real. In 2022, Tripadvisor identified that 1.3 million reviews were fake and in the previous year, had removed 2.7 million fake reviews.
Google told Guardian Money that it blocked or removed around 115 million fake reviews of hotels, restaurants and businesses in 2022 alone.
Fake reviews can be misleading, offering a distored picture of the product or service, leading consumers to make purchases based on inaccurate or exaggerated claims. This can also lead to a lack of trust and even damage the reputation of a brand, in addition to undermining the fairness of the marketplace.
This post was originally published on here
