To address the growing issue of fake and paid reviews on e-commerce platforms, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is set to introduce mandatory guidelines within six months. These guidelines aim to promote transparency and authenticity in product reviews on e-commerce sites.
The move comes in response to reports of increasing instances of fake reviews being used to manipulate customer perception and influence purchasing decisions. These fake reviews are not only prevalent on e-commerce platforms but also on food aggregators, where they are used to inflate ratings and attract more customers.
Nidhi Khare, Secretary of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), highlighted that the percentage of fake and paid reviews on e-commerce sites has risen significantly, from 18 to 43 percent in 2023.
In response to these concerns, a meeting chaired by the Department of Consumer Affairs was held, with participation from various stakeholders, including e-commerce companies, legal experts, and consumer activists. During the meeting, the Ministry emphasized the need for mandatory guidelines to regulate product reviews on e-commerce websites.
Under the proposed guidelines, e-commerce platforms will be required to implement quality control measures for reviews and provide a disclaimer to users. It will also mandate transparency regarding the authenticity of reviews and whether they were incentivized or paid for.
E-commerce companies will be given a grace period of six months to implement these guidelines. Violation of the mandatory quality control order will be considered a breach of fair trade practices under the CCPA Act, leading to appropriate action against the erring entities.
