The cross-industry companies are united by a
shared commitment to protecting access to trustworthy reviews
worldwide, ensuring consumers can make informed purchase
decisions
NEEDHAM,
Mass., Oct. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
Amazon, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Glassdoor, Tripadvisor, and
Trustpilot announced they have teamed up to launch the global
Coalition for Trusted Reviews, a cross-industry collaboration
committed to protecting access to trustworthy consumer reviews
worldwide. Together, members will define best practices for hosting
online reviews and sharing methods of fake review detection, aiming
to stop fake reviews at the source.
Companies met in October 2022 in
San Francisco at the first ever
Fake Reviews Conference, organized by Tripadvisor. Attendees heard
from experts in government, academia and the industry at large on
common challenges and potential mitigation approaches related to
the issue of fake reviews. This resulted in the establishment of a
formal coalition to collaborate on public education and ongoing
information sharing between members, in an effort to decrease
review fraud.
The group has agreed to engage in several key areas to protect
consumers and partners from fake reviews, working to help ensure
the public is not misled by fraudulent content, including:
Industry Alignment. Developing common
standards and definitions for use throughout the industry around
what constitutes a fake review and other content moderation
nomenclature and measurement.
Best Practice Sharing. Defining best
practices for hosting online reviews and sharing information on
updated content moderation process and methods of fake review
detection.
Information Sharing. Sharing information
relating to how fraudulent actors operate, such as companies
selling fake reviews to businesses seeking to unfairly and
improperly improve their reputations.
Advocacy. Engaging with academics and
public policy leaders to promote the benefits to consumers of
review content and support industry efforts to combat fake reviews
from being published.
The coalition is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of
integrity, transparency, and accountability. Through collaborative
initiatives, they aim to set new standards for maintaining the
authenticity of reviews, instilling confidence in consumers
worldwide.
Coalition members will next meet in Brussels on December
5th and 6th the second conference, organized by Amazon.
Amazon
"Customer reviews are an important part
of the shopping experience, and the goal of this coalition is to
ensure every review reflects customers' actual experiences,"
said Dharmesh Mehta,
Amazon's vice president of Worldwide Selling Partner Services.
"Amazon is aggressively fighting fake review brokers to protect our
customers and selling partners, but these fraudsters are a global
problem, impacting multiple industry sectors. Through greater
collaboration and sharing across industries, including information
on fraudsters' tactics and how they operate, we can more
effectively shut down fraudulent review activity, deter other bad
actors from attempting to game our systems, and protect more
consumers."
Booking.com
"With more than 300 million verified reviews from real
guests on our platform, we are actively invested in ensuring the
ongoing credibility of our program, both for travelers and our
partners," said Spencer Mott, Chief
Security Officer at Booking.com. "From machine learning
fraud detection models to custom-made tooling for our
teams of experienced moderators, we are continuously enhancing our
efforts, including through collaborating with this coalition of
like-minded platforms. Together we can explore best practices and
learn from each other, thereby increasing awareness across the
industry to the benefit of an even wider array of consumers and
businesses."
Expedia Group
"Authentic reviews are crucial for
travelers when booking accommodations, destinations, and
experiences, said CJ Allen, Vice President,
Marketplace Experience & Trust, Expedia Group. We
use technology not only to detect fraudulent postings but also to
implement a human touch, further validating the honesty and
transparency of reviews. Expedia Group takes pride in
participating in this coalition to combat these fake actors, who
pose a direct threat to our industry's most valuable asset:
trust."
Glassdoor
"Job seekers rely on the integrity and
authenticity of anonymous reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to
confidently make decisions about jobs and companies to work for,"
said Cara Barry, Glassdoor Director
of Content and Community. "Glassdoor's moderation team is
constantly evolving our multi-tier technological and human review
processes to prevent fake reviews on our platform, but we recognize
that we must continue to innovate with new approaches. We look
forward to closer collaboration with our industry partners to
create new frameworks to mitigate fake reviews and maintain trust
in content on Glassdoor and elsewhere online."
Tripadvisor
"The trust that consumers and partners
have in our platforms and businesses is a top priority for the
members of this coalition, all of whom agreed to join together to
fight fake review content on the Internet. To further maintain the
credibility and authenticity of reviews on our platforms, we aim to
make it increasingly difficult for fraudulent actors who try to
deceive our customers to operate online," said Becky Foley, Vice President, Trust & Safety,
Tripadvisor. "Combating these operators, particularly those
attempting to sell fake reviews to companies looking to improve
their online reputations, will be an immediate area of focus.
These actors often operate outside of jurisdictions with a legal
framework to shut down fraudulent activity, making robust
cooperation even more important."
Trustpilot
"Trust is at the heart of every decision
consumers make to buy products and services, especially online.
Reviews help to fuel confidence, which makes it imperative that
consumers can rely on the reviews they read, and know that they are
genuine and authentic, said Carolyn
Jameson, Chief Trust and Consumer Officer at Trustpilot. "At
Trustpilot we're always innovating, searching for different avenues
to take on fake review sellers and businesses who try to manipulate
feedback written about them. Greater collaboration and sharing of
ideas across the reviews industry, through the Coalition for
Trusted Reviews will undoubtedly be a major boost in the global
fight against fraud and deception as we work to combat
those who seek to undermine trust online."
About the Coalition for Trusted Reviews
The
Coalition for Trusted Reviews is a group of industry leaders in
hospitality, retail, consumer services, and travel that offer
trustworthy reviews to help their customers make informed purchase
decisions. Member companies are focused on reducing fraudulent
customer reviews. The group currently includes Amazon, Booking.com,
Expedia, Glassdoor, Tripadvisor, and Trustpilot.
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SOURCE Tripadvisor