Research conducted in 2020 at the request of the Office of Consumer and Customer Protection (UOKiK) shows that as many as 93 percent. of people shopping online are guided by product reviews posted online by other consumers. The problem is that the credibility of such reviews leaves much to be desired. Their authors are often employees of the manufacturer of a given device or “ghostwriters” who were paid for such an opinion.
It is enough to spend a few minutes on simple research to realize that there are dozens of companies in Poland that specialize in “producing” such reviews. We can order 50, 100 or even 1000 positive comments about our product – it’s all a matter of budget.
UOKiK fights against fake opinions on the Internet. There are already successes
He has been fighting these fraudulent practices for years UOKiK. The Polish regulator has achieved its first successes in this field. In February this year, the office imposed a fine of PLN 40,000 on a company from Poznań for selling false reviews online.
The President of UOKiK established that the entrepreneur deliberately misled consumers as to the companies reviewed, including their reputation, quality of services or products offered. Everyone could take advantage of the offer of the City Agency and order a certain number of positive reviews. The price list included 6 packages from small to premium; in the latter, you could buy 100 opinions for PLN 1,200
– informed UOKiK in a communiqué. Earlier, in November 2022, the office punished Opinion.pro from Lubartów and SN Marketing from Kraków with fines totaling over PLN 70,000. PLN for offering and selling unreliable opinions on the Internet.
Unfortunately, combating such deceptive practices is like fighting windmills. In place of one review trading company, two more are created, because where there is demand, there is also supply. The real problem is the companies that buy such comments. And in this case, proving guilt is – at the moment – much more difficult, if not impossible.
USA. The FTC is cracking down on fraudulent reviews. Even 200,000 PLN penalty for one display
The problem of fake reviews has been faced by Americans for years – and on an even larger scale. The situation became so serious that she addressed it Federal Trade Commission. Last Friday, which are to hit companies involved in the practice of selling and buying opinions online.
“The proposed Fake Review Law demonstrates that we are using every means at our disposal to combat fraudulent practices in the digital age,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Office of Consumer Protection,
These rules would entail civil penalties for violators and should help level the playing field for honest companies
– added.
The FTC proposes a fine of up to 50 thousand dollars (about PLN 200,000) a – note – a single display of a fake review. These are truly draconian rules. However, the Americans have not yet specified how they intend to enforce this law.
In addition, the Commission wants to oblige companies that every review published by a person associated with a given product (or even closely related to such a person) should be accompanied by a clear warning. Another restriction is to ban press publishing houses dealing with the creation of reviews by device manufacturers.
(a developer working on AI technology to help fight fraudulent reviews) shows that one in three reviews published online has been falsified.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
