Amazon, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Glassdoor, Tripadvisor, and Trustpilot have come together to form the Coalition for Trusted Reviews.
This global initiative aims to safeguard the integrity of consumer reviews by establishing industry standards and best practices.
The coalition’s inception can be traced back to the first-ever Fake Reviews Conference held in San Francisco in October 2022. Organized by Tripadvisor, the conference saw experts from various sectors discussing the challenges posed by fake reviews and potential strategies to counteract them. The outcome was the formation of a formal coalition dedicated to public education and information sharing to reduce review fraud.
The coalition’s primary objectives include:
- Industry Alignment: Establishing universal standards and definitions concerning fake reviews and content moderation.
- Best Practice Sharing: Setting best practices for hosting online reviews and disseminating information on content moderation processes and fake review detection.
- Information Sharing: Exchanging insights on the modus operandi of fraudulent actors, especially those selling fake reviews to businesses.
- Advocacy: Collaborating with academics and policymakers to emphasize the importance of genuine review content and support industry-wide efforts to prevent the publication of fake reviews.
The coalition’s members are set to reconvene in Brussels on December 5th and 6th for their second conference, spearheaded by Amazon.
Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of Worldwide Selling Partner Services, emphasized the importance of customer reviews in the shopping experience. He highlighted the global nature of the fake review problem and the need for cross-industry collaboration to tackle it effectively.
Spencer Mott, Chief Security Officer at Booking.com, pointed out the company’s commitment to ensuring the credibility of its over 300 million verified reviews. He expressed enthusiasm for the coalition’s collaborative approach to enhancing industry-wide efforts.
CJ Allen from Expedia Group stressed the significance of authentic reviews for travelers and the company’s dedication to maintaining trust. Glassdoor’s Cara Barry highlighted the importance of genuine reviews for job seekers and the company’s ongoing efforts to prevent fake reviews.
Becky Foley of Tripadvisor underscored the coalition’s commitment to maintaining the trust and credibility of reviews on their platforms. She emphasized the importance of robust cooperation, especially given the challenges posed by fraudulent operators working outside legal jurisdictions.
Trustpilot’s Carolyn Jameson reiterated the centrality of trust in online purchasing decisions and the company’s relentless efforts to combat fake review sellers.
