Italy Launches Bill To Prevent Fake Online Review Of Hotels, Restaurants And Tourist Attractions

JAKARTA - The Italian government last month unveiled a bill to regulate online reviews of hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, guns stopping fake or paid reviewers.

The law, which requires parliamentary approval to take effect, introduces a number of hurdles for potential reviewers, including having to provide verifiable identities, as well as proof they visit the places they want to value.

The review must be uploaded within two weeks of the visit in question and can be deleted if it is not true or, in any case, two years after uploading.

However, the bill did not explain who would decide whether a criticism was wrong.

The proposed law, which can be amended in parliament, will also prohibit paid or sponsored reviews through incentives, frequent fraudulent practices.

"Today marks an important step towards protecting our business," said Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche, at the launch of the bill.

Counterfeit reviews are illegal, but monitoring violations is difficult. The bill proposes giving tasks to check reviews and fine Italian antitrust watchdogs.

The draft regulation was welcomed by several industry lobbyers, despite concerns over privacy and concerns, the ban on anonymous reviews could drastically reduce the number of online comments about hotels and restaurants.

"False reviews are a problem for fair competition between companies as it can have a major impact on sales, and are also a problem for consumers who can be misled," Michele Carrus, chairman of Federconsumatori's consumer association, told Reuters.

"This problem needs to be addressed. It's hard to do it the right way, but I'm sure we can achieve it during the parliamentary debate," he added.