In an effort to protect transparency and fairness in the digital age, the Italian government on Tuesday announced a bill aimed at stopping fake reviews in hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, Reuters reported. The law requires parliamentary approval to take effect, and there are several hurdles for aspiring examiners. This includes providing verifiable identification and proof that you have visited the location you want to share your review. Additionally, reviews must be posted within two weeks of the visit in question and can be removed if they are false or two years after they were posted. However, the bill does not explain who will decide whether the criticism is false.
The bill, which could be amended by Congress, would also outlaw paid or sponsored reviews through incentives.
As Reuters reported, fake reviews are already illegal, but enforcement of violations is difficult. The bill proposes giving Italy’s antitrust watchdog the task of checking reviews and ultimately imposing fines.
The draft regulations were welcomed by some industry lobbies, but there were also privacy concerns and concerns that a ban on anonymous reviews would significantly reduce the number of online comments about hotels and restaurants.
“Fake reviews are a problem for fair competition between companies, as they can have a significant impact on sales, and they can also be misunderstood,” Michele Callas, president of consumer group Federconsumatori, told Reuters. It’s also a problem for sexual consumers,” he said, adding: The issues that need to be addressed are difficult to solve in the right way, but I am confident that they can be achieved through parliamentary debate.”
The impact this bill will have on online reviews and consumer trust remains to be seen.
