Trip Advisor fined by Italian Competition Regulator

[Big Sis..]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30583483

"Italy's competition watchdog has fined travel website Tripadvisor €500,000 (£392,000) for publishing misleading information in its reviews.

The regulator began a seven-month investigation following a complaint from a consumer group and hotel owners.

Tripadvisor was accused of presenting its reviews as "authentic and genuine" despite not taking measures to avoid contributors publishing false opinions."

[CSE]

From the BBC article

Our systems and procedures are extremely efficient in protecting consumers from a small minority of people who try to con our system.

Yer yer TA.

[greenbarn]

Now that is very interesting - although we'll see what happens on appeal. When a Scottish couple tried to take on TA over some fake reviews against their Guest House TA successfully hid behind their claim that as a US company they weren't bound by the laws elsewhere (convenient).
The Scottish couple's appeal also failed:

The couple appealed against the ruling, but Lady Paton, who heard the challenge with Lord Menzies and Lord Drummond Young, backed the original ruling.

Lady Paton said: "Nothing in the respondents' (TripAdviisor) terms and conditions suggests that the respondents have undertaken to be bound by the orders issued by a Scottish court.

"The Scottish courts do not have jurisdiction over the respondents, who are a company incorporated under the law of the state of Massachusetts."

That has prevented a number of actions against TA which means there's no legal requirement for them to stop publishing falsified reviews, and they certainly don't recognise any ethical issues.
If the Italian courts can rule against them, would that be the end of that argument? I can see TA fighting this tooth and nail - a paltry half million euros is nothing compared to what could be at stake if their appeal fails.

[CSE]

Greenbarn, shame that Google is not willing to say it's base is not in Europe but instead it pulled the plug on it's Spanish news feed. We miss having a daily scan on the Spanish press. Not going to every site to read the headlines and scan for the stories of most interest.
http://www.theguardian.com/media-networ ... -withdraws