Those fake “customers†who write glowing and false reviews were dealt a blow in Brussels that may eventually extend to other countries including the US.
Brussels on April 6 is banning activities as the EU’s Unfair Commercial Practices Directive comes into force. It will make commercial or fake blogging, or flogging as it is known, an offense.
Not everyone is pleased with a law to ban fake hotel and other reviews.
“In what must be one of the weirdest laws to affect the blogosphere, Shashdot is reporting that the European Union is sponsoring a new ‘directive’ (their fancy name for a law, as far as I can tell) that will make it illegal for companies to knowingly try to deceive customers about the origin of a web blog,†writes Dave Taylor a recognized Internet exert since 1980.
“It’s not the first time I have come to recognize that the EU is more forward thinking in terms of protecting consumers than we are here in the US, but I have to ask: is this law really necessary?†he adds.
He raises the question of whether bloggers who allow comments on their site might also be charged under the new law.
There appears to be some confusion over the law but one interpretation is that it means all companies will not be able to post online themselves or pay anyone else to post reviews about their companies that are misleading.
The law is timely because the public is beginning to question the truth about blogging.
The recent Travel 2.0 Consumer Technology Survey commissioned by PhoCusWright revealed that most Americans would rather make up their minds about travel purchases rather than follow the views of others.
Report by David Wilkening
