Online reviews, Santanchè: stricter rules
The minister: it is unfair competition, there must be guarantees that the reviewer has actually used that service
2' min read
2' min read
Alongside the great opportunities offered by digital technologies to tourism there are risks. Such as the abuse of artificial intelligence that can distort the market and distort competition. This is the case of 'fake reviews' that, in addition to causing damage to businesses, can have dramatic impacts on people's lives (such as the restaurateur in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano who committed suicide after being at the centre of controversy for her civilised response to an online review criticising the presence of gays and disabled people in her restaurant, which turned out to be fake).
Santanchè: better regulate false reviews
An issue that was included in the final document of the G7 tourism meeting that closed in Florence and that the minister Daniela Santanchè spoke about in the final press conference: "fake reviews" "sometimes decree the death and life of companies. If one buys a package of fake reviews it is unfair competition. It is necessary to have guarantees that those who make reviews have really enjoyed that service. We are working in this direction and I hope we will arrive at a common position to regulate this'. The minister's reference is to the discussion started in February with the category associations to define common ground and to be able to intervene in the sector with stricter regulations.
The final document agreed with the Tourism Ministers of the 'Big Seven' speaks of the 'need to ensure the cybersecurity of tourism businesses' and recommends 'the protection of transparency of customer data' and calls for responsibility 'to prevent damage to customers, as well as abuses of Ia technology, which can distort the market and unfairly distort competition, such as "fake reviews", deep fakes or manipulation of consumer behaviour'.
"Central tourism in G7 is Italian victory"
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'If tourism has been put at the centre of the G7 economies for the first time, it is thanks to Italy, it is an all-Italian victory. Now there is no turning back,' was the assessment of the minister who spoke in a hall of the Uffizi. France, Germany, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, the USA as well as
