'Mark' paid reviews, disclose method of star rating: Govt to ecommerce companies

Ecommerce companies, hotel and travel booking platforms will have to disclose the methodology of giving star rating to products and services, according to the government's new frameworks to counter fake reviews on such platforms.

Companies will also have to disclose if a customer review is solicited or paid for or purchased.

Companies such as Tata Sons, Amazon, Flipkart, Zepto, Reliance, Google, Meta, Zomato, Swiggy, Meesho and Blinkit were a part of the committee that helped the government develop these standards.


The companies will also have verify the author of a review and take permission from the author of the reviews to post their personal data on the sites.

"The objective is to minimize the bias and fraudulent reviews to start with, " Said Rohit Kumar Singh, secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs adding that the standards are self-regulatory at the moment. However, it may be made mandatory in future.

Since ecommerce involves a virtual shopping experience without any opportunity to physically view or examine the product, consumers heavily rely on reviews posted on platforms to see the opinion and experiences of users who have already purchased the goods or services, Singh added.

The standards will come into effect from November 25.

The companies which follow the standards to curb fraudulent reviews can obtain certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

India will be one of the first countries to have developed such frameworks, Singh said.