At a meeting held on May 15, the Consumer Affairs Agency pointed out that the presence of fake reviews on e-commerce platforms is endangering the trustworthiness and trustworthiness of shopping platforms.
 "Are you worried about fake reviews on e-com websites? Government planning regulations")
Abhijeet Kumar New Delhi
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Wednesday held a stakeholder meeting with e-commerce companies on protecting consumer interests from online fake reviews. India's leading e-commerce companies have expressed support for the government's initiative announced by the Department of Consumer Affairs to enforce quality standards for consumer reviews.
It noted that the number of consumer complaints related to e-commerce registered with the NCH has increased significantly. In 2018 he increased from 95,270 (22 percent of the total number of complaints) to 444,034 in 2023 (43 percent of the total number of complaints).
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The Ministry of Consumer Affairs pointed out that the presence of fake reviews online jeopardizes the credibility and trustworthiness of shopping platforms and may lead consumers to make incorrect purchasing decisions.
According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the Indian e-commerce market is estimated at $112.93 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $299.01 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate of It is expected to grow at a rate of 21.5%.
E-commerce companies welcome government proposal
During a rally in New Delhi, representatives of prominent platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Google and Meta, among others, announced their commitment to the draft quality control measures aimed at implementing the IS 19000:2022 standard on 'Online Consumer Reviews'. expressed support. Details can be found in the press release issued by the Ministry.
They agreed that the order is important to protect the interests of consumers from misleading reviews on shopping sites and apps, adding that the draft order will be submitted for public consultation.
“The discussion on the transition to IS 19000:2022 Quality Control Directive was welcomed by stakeholders, who said that the issue of fake reviews is important to protect the interests of consumers while shopping online and needs to be closely monitored. “This resulted in a general consensus among all stakeholders,” the ministry said in a statement.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare, who chaired the meeting, said the standard was important because online shoppers rely heavily on reviews for purchases that cannot be physically inspected.
Khare said e-commerce platforms functioning in India must develop a formal code of conduct, which must be shared and accessible to all personnel. You must also demonstrate how this document and its guiding principles will be complied with and maintained.
What measures are proposed to protect against fake reviews?
According to a report in Hindustan Times, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has found that fake reviews affect online customers the most in the hotel, tour and travel sectors, and the food and beverage sector.
The proposed Quality Control Order (QCO) would allow organizations to publish biased or prejudicial consumer reviews online, edit reviews to change their message, and prevent organizations from posting negative reviews. It is prohibited to prevent or prevent.
The standard also specifies specific responsibilities for review authors and administrators. Review authors must be identified, review editing that alters the message is prohibited, and preventing or deterring negative reviews is also prohibited, the press release states.
A year ago, the government issued quality standards for e-tailers, banning the publication of paid reviews and requiring disclosure of such promotional content. However, the norm was voluntary in nature.
Consumer activist Pushpa Girimji welcomed the move but said the “enforceability” of such standards was key to effectively checking the menace of fake reviews.
