On the agenda of the Council of Ministers on 23 December there was also a bill on online reviews. The goal is to standardize them to avoid false ones. The problem is how long it will take online platforms to implement the new rules.
December 23rd on table of the Council of Ministers arrived on bill for Small and Medium Enterprises (hence PMI). Among the points listed in the document there is also space for a series of rules that regulate online reviewsthe comments that are made on the platforms after they try a place or a service. As we can read on the agenda, it was one point among various regulations for SMEs which also concerned other matters, especially fiscal ones.
It’s now a protocol. Every time we buy a product online or choose a restaurant, the eye falls on the reviews. We can stop to see the score defined by the stars or check the latest reviews written by users. Estimates on how much reviews affect turnover vary greatly but according to the statements of the Fipe-Confcommercio Study Center reported by Il Sole 24 Ore we are talking about a 30% in places that do not have a loyal clientele. In general, 65% of consumers consider them a criterion of choice.
What does the new bill provide for online reviews?
The provisions of the new bill provide, in short, a strict on reviews. According to SkyTG24 the objective is above all to reduce the phenomenon of fake reviews. Both the positive ones and the negative ones. So let’s talk about both the reviews that are purchased to raise a place or service in Google searches, and those written for revenge or shitstorm campaigns.
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From what has been spread in the media, according to the new rules, the authenticity of a review should pass by three factors: theuser identificationthe proof of having used a product or in any case used a service (trivially a receipt) and then the timing. We’re talking about a 15 day limit. Among the rules there is also the right to be forgotten: you can ask for it removal of reviews older than one year.
The objective of the rules is define online reviews. Despite some doubts about user identification, anonymity is a form of protection, the problem is clear. The main review platforms are linked to foreign platforms. How and above all when will these platforms approve the new rules?
