New Delhi: The government is considering requiring e-commerce companies to comply with consumer review quality standards after voluntary promotions have failed to effectively curb fake reviews, a senior government official said on Monday, May 13. revealed.
A year ago, the government issued new quality standards for e-tailers, banning the publication of paid reviews and requiring disclosure of such promotional content.
However, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said fake reviews of products and services on e-commerce platforms still exist.
“More than a year has passed since the voluntary standards for “online reviews'' were announced. Some organizations claim to have complied with them. However, fake reviews are still being published. ,'' Khare told PTI.
“We want to make these standards mandatory to protect the interests of consumers,” he said, adding that the ministry will meet with e-commerce companies and consumer groups on May 15 to discuss the proposed move. He added that he is planning a meeting with.
The ministry's Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which developed and published new standards for 'online consumer reviews' in November 2022, said that 'purchasing and/or writing by individuals employed for the purpose by the supplier or any relevant third party The publication of reviews that read “I did” was prohibited. .
Without the opportunity to physically inspect products, consumers rely heavily on online reviews when making purchases. Misleading reviews and ratings can lead to purchasing products and services based on incorrect information.
The proposed move comes in the backdrop of rapid growth in India's online retail sector. According to a report by Deloitte Touche Toumas India, this sector is expected to surge from USD 70 billion in 2022 to USD 325 billion by 2030.
This post was last updated on May 13, 2024 at 6:43 p.m.
