Fake Bloggers Will Be Named & Shamed

It was only a few days ago when we were writing about how Wikipedia was telling PR agencies to stop writing up their clients on the encyclopedia site. We even suggested that brands should declare that they are splog free. Now, the Times reports that brands in Europe will soon be forced to reveal their true identities in online forums like Amazon customer reviews:

From December 31, when the change becomes law in the UK, they can be named and shamed by trading standards or taken to court.

The Times has learnt that the new regulations also will apply to authors who praise their own books under a fake identity on websites such as Amazon.

Online consumer reviews are playing an ever greater role in shaping shopping habits, with websites such as TripAdvisor for the travel industry being seen as increasingly influential.

However, a string of businessman in the UK and the US have been caught posing as supposedly independent customers in an attempt to boost sales.

Fake bloggers soon to be ‘named and shamed’-News-Politics-TimesOnline

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