According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the government has convened a meeting of e-commerce stakeholders and organizations involved in publishing online reviews to check for fake reviews, and is proceeding with discussions on a quality control order.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs also announced the draft Online Consumer Reviews (Quality Control) Order (QCO) 2024, which proposes to accept reviews from verified purchasers and users of products.
“This QCO requires all e-commerce aggregators and organizations involved in publishing online reviews to declare self-compliance with the mandatory requirements set out in this order…
“Organizations must register with BIS and declare compliance with the mandatory requirements. In this regard, a stakeholder consultation to discuss the draft QCO, chaired by the Commissioner General (CA), is scheduled for May 15, 2024. ”, the notice states.
The draft QCO mandates that organizations must not publish reviews purchased and written by themselves or by individuals employed to write reviews by suppliers, sellers, or third parties.
The Department of Consumer Affairs requires all organizations that manage and publish online consumer reviews to comply with mandatory requirements, including the prohibition on publishing fake reviews, to register with BIS as a “review administrator,” and to comply with the requirements set forth in this order. proposed to declare self-compliance with the mandatory requirements. .
The proposed QCOs would require platforms to reward consumers based on their content, edit reviews, prohibit the publication of negative reviews, and restrict the ability of platforms to reward consumers based on their content, prohibit the publication of negative reviews, and restrict platforms from individuals who have not used or experienced the product or service. is prohibited from accepting reviews.
