Centre to formulate SoP to protect online consumers from fake reviews

New Delhi: The Centre on Friday said it will come out with a standard operating procedure (SoP) to protect online consumers from fake reviews of products and services, after a detailed discussion with e-commerce entities and other key stakeholders on this issue. Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, who chaired the virtual meeting with stakeholders, discussed the impact of fake and misleading reviews on online consumers and preparation of a roadmap to prevent such a situation. Additional Secretary in the Consumer Affairs Ministry Nidhi Khare, department officials, and representatives of e-commerce entities, consumer organisations, law firms and others were part of the meeting. “We are basically trying to understand whether there are any SoPs available and if we can prepare standard operating principles to guide and protect the consumers from fake reviews,” a senior Consumer Affairs Ministry official told PTI. Everyone was asked to give their suggestions. Based on their inputs, the ministry will prepare an SoP to safeguard the consumer interest, the official said. In the meeting, e-commerce companies said they already have some basic norms in place, the official said, and observed, “But it is largely to protect their own sale of the products offered on their platforms. It is not oriented towards consumers.” Consumer organisations informed that the e-commerce players are using filters like ’top reviews’ and ‘most relevant’, clearing away the negative reviews or pushing them down so that the ordinary consumer will not read those reviews. This way, the e-tailers are prioritising the positive reviews for their own gains, the official said. Law firms shared that fake reviews can be regulated in two ways – traceability and liability. It is important to trace if the reviews of products/ services offered on the e-commerce platforms are genuine or paid. The other aspect is who gets to be liable for fake reviews – the manufacturer or e-commerce platforms, the official added. The ministry official further said consumers are increasingly shopping online for purchase of goods and services with growing internet and smartphone use. Given that e-commerce involves a virtual shopping experience without any opportunity to physically view or examine the product, consumers heavily rely on reviews posted by users who have already purchased the goods or service. As a result, due to fake and misleading reviews, the right to be informed, which is a consumer right under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, is violated. Since the issue impacts people shopping online on a daily basis and their rights as a consumer, it is important that it is examined with greater scrutiny, the official added. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.