The Italian government aims to crack down on fake paid online reviews to protect the country's hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions from misleading and harmful content.
A bill announced this week, which still needs parliamentary approval, would require anyone wishing to write a review online to present verifiable identification and proof that they have visited the location in question. There is.
Fake reviews are already illegal in the southern European country, but violations are difficult to police.
According to the bill, reviews must be posted within 15 days of the visit and must be relevant and detailed. If it is false, it can be removed at the company's request.
In addition, businesses will be able to ask for reviews that are more than two years old to be removed if they are no longer relevant. Reviews that are paid or sponsored through incentives are also illegal.
It is unclear who will decide whether the ratings are fake, but the responsibility for checking the ratings and ultimately imposing fines will be given to Italy's antitrust watchdog.
“Today is an important step to protect our businesses,” Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche said. “Reviews that are actually true thanks to this regulatory intervention will be the cornerstone of a company's success and the trust of consumers and tourists.”
Italy's Ministry of Enterprise said fake and manipulated reviews affected between 6% and 30% of the revenue of companies in the hospitality and tourism sector.
Italian consumer group Codacons said the bill was a “necessary measure to protect consumers and businesses.”
The measure was also welcomed by business group Fipe-Confcommercio. “For too long, the prevalence of false reviews has put the catering industry and public facilities at risk, causing economic damage and undermining consumer confidence,” said Roberto Cargi, the federation's executive director. said.
“It is no longer acceptable for business activities to suffer the consequences of fraudulent and false judgments, which often lead to unfair competition and hidden advertising.”
After newsletter promotion
However, some expressed privacy concerns and concerns that the ban on anonymous reviews would significantly reduce the number of online comments about hotels and restaurants.
“Fake reviews are a problem for fair competition between companies, as they can have a huge impact on sales, and they are also misleading for consumers,'' Michele Callas, president of consumer group Federconsumatori, told Reuters. “This is a problem that could potentially lead to problems.” “The issue needed to be addressed. It's difficult to do it the right way, but I'm confident we can achieve it during parliamentary debate.”
Katia Silvestri, owner of L'Antico Café della Pina in central Rome, said she welcomed the restrictions but was generally in favor of a review. “Everyone should be able to express their opinion,” she said. “Fortunately, we haven't had any issues. Reviews are subjective, but they help ensure that a facility consistently provides excellent quality.”
