Amazon commits to stepping up fake-review fight after UK watchdog’s investigation
 

Amazon has pledged to beef up fight against fake reviews, Britain’s competition regulator said Friday after an investigation into whether big online platforms are doing enough to crack down on phony online ratings for products and services.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it secured the “undertakings” from Amazon, after getting a similar agreement earlier this year from Google to clamp down on rogue reviews plaguing the internet.

The company promised to strengthen its existing systems for fighting fake reviews. It will also tackle catalog abuse, which involves sellers boosting star ratings for a product by hijacking good reviews from a completely different one.

As an example, a shopper might come across a pair of headphones with a five-star rating. But, after looking closer, most of the reviews are for a mobile phone charger, the watchdog said.

As part of its commitments, Amazon has agreed to sanction anyone caught using these tactics. Businesses could be banned from selling on the Amazon website and users posting fake reviews could be banned from posting them, the CMA said.

The watchdog’s chief executive, Sarah Cardell, said that so many people shop on Amazon and “star ratings and reviews have a huge impact on their choices.”

Amazon’s pledges “mean people can make decisions with greater confidence – knowing that those who seek to pull the wool over their eyes will be swiftly dealt with.”

The pledges apply to Amazon’s U.K. website. The company said in a statement that it has zero tolerance for fake reviews and that the measures build on Amazon’s existing efforts to tackle them.

source : https://apnews.com/article/amazon-britain-ecommerce-fake-reviews-6cbee3df2e4425343c3de398e6ba2235

Comprehension

What did Amazon promise to improve?
Why did the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigate Amazon?
What kind of fake review trick does "catalog abuse" involve?
Which other company agreed to similar actions earlier this year?
What might happen to users who post fake reviews?
How does Amazon say it will deal with businesses that break the rules?
Why are fake reviews a problem for shoppers?
Who is Sarah Cardell and what did she say about this issue?
Where will Amazon's new rules apply?
How does Amazon feel about fake reviews?

Discussion

Have you ever read fake or confusing reviews online? What did you do?
How do online reviews affect your decision to buy something?
Do you trust star ratings when shopping on websites? Why or why not?
What should happen to people or businesses that post fake reviews?
How can you tell if a review is real or fake?
Do you think online shopping is safer now with new rules like these?
What are the risks of believing fake reviews?
Should all countries have rules against fake reviews?
Do you write reviews after shopping online? Why or why not?
If a product has both good and bad reviews, how do you decide?

Vocabulary

Pledge – To make a serious promise or commitment.
Beef up – (informal) To make stronger or better.
Fake – Not real or true; made to look real to deceive people.
Regulator – An organization or person that makes sure rules are followed.
Phony – Not genuine; fake or false.
Crack down – To take strong action to stop something bad.
Catalog abuse – Misusing product listings to trick buyers.
Hijack – To take over or misuse something for a different purpose.
Sanction – To officially punish or stop someone from doing something.
Confidence – Feeling sure or certain about something