Amazon, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Glassdoor, Tripadvisor and Trustpilot 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 are looking to define best practices for hosting online reviews and sharing methods of fake review detection, aiming to stop fake reviews at the source.
"Authentic reviews are crucial for travelers when booking accommodations, destinations, and experiences," CJ Allen, VP, marketplace experience and trust, Expedia Group, said in a statement. "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."
The companies met in October 2022 in San Francisco at the first 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.
With more than 300 million verified reviews from real guests on Booking.com platform, the company is invested in ensuring the ongoing credibility of its program, both for travelers and its 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," he said. "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."
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 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," said Becky Foley, vice president, trust and safety, Tripadvisor. "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. 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."
Coalition members will next meet in Brussels Dec. 5-6 for the the second conference, organized by Amazon.