New Delhi, May 27: The Center on Friday said it will come up with a standard operating procedure (SOP) to protect online consumers from fake reviews of products and services after detailed discussions with e-commerce entities and other key stakeholders. Will come issue. Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, who chaired the virtual meeting with stakeholders, discussed the impact of fake and misleading reviews on online consumers and preparing a roadmap to prevent such situation.
Nidhi Khare, additional secretary in the consumer affairs ministry, officials of the department and representatives of e-commerce entities, consumer organisations, law firms and others were part of the meeting. A senior consumer affairs ministry official told PTI, “We are basically trying to understand whether there are any SOPs available and whether we can formulate standard operating principles to guide and protect consumers from fake reviews. Huh.”
Everyone was asked to give their suggestions. Based on their inputs, the ministry will prepare an SOP to protect consumer interest, the official said. At the meeting, e-commerce companies said they already have some basic norms in place, the official said, adding, “But this is largely to protect the sale of products offered on their platforms.
It’s not consumer-oriented.” Consumer organizations pointed out that e-commerce players are using filters like ‘top reviews’ and ‘most relevant’, removing negative reviews or pushing them down so that the general public Consumers could not read those reviews.
Thus, e-tailers are prioritizing positive reviews for their own benefit, the official said. Law firms shared that fake reviews can be handled in two ways – traceability and liability. It is important to ascertain whether the reviews of the products/services offered on the e-commerce platform are genuine or paid for. The other aspect, the official said, is who will be liable for the fake reviews – the manufacturer or the e-commerce platform.
Read also: Xiaomi OLED Vision TV goes on sale in India: Price, offers and specifications
The ministry official further said that with the increasing use of internet and smartphones, consumers are making online purchases to purchase goods and services. Given that e-commerce involves a virtual shopping experience without any opportunity to physically view or test the product, consumers rely heavily on reviews posted by users who have already purchased the goods or services. has taken.
As a result, the Right to Information, which is a consumer right under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, is violated due to fake and misleading reviews. The official said that since the issue affects people shopping online on a daily basis and their rights as a consumer, it is important that it is investigated with more scrutiny.
,
read all breaking news , today’s fresh news And IPL 2022 Live Updates Here.