New Delhi, Nov 21 (KNN) The central government is expected to issue new guidelines this week to tackle the problem of fake reviews and unverified star ratings on e-commerce websites, according to a report in the Hindustan Times.

According to the new guidelines, customers will get to know whether reviews or star ratings for a product on an e-commerce website are authentic or not, before deciding if they should order that product.

The Consumer Affairs Secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh on Sunday, said “The government will publish next week, a framework to counter fake reviews, and unverified star ratings on online shopping websites, hotel and travel booking platforms.”

“The guidelines have been finalised after consultation with stakeholders, adding that initially, these would be voluntary, and made mandatory gradually,” Singh added.

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has been responsible for finalising the framework.

In May, the ministry had announced it would develop a framework with an aim to curb what it described as fake reviews posted on e-commerce websites. Simply because e-commerce gives customers a virtual shopping experience, which means they cannot physically check whether the product is of good quality or not. Therefore, they have to rely on experience of users who have already purchased that particular item.

However, the review or star rating, besides being fake or unverified, may also be as per a user's individual experience. This may mislead a consumer into ordering that product. Stakeholders in e-retailers have always maintained they have guidelines in place to monitor such issues. (KNN Bureau)