Reviews sites that publish anonymous comments, will have to act as intermediaries in settling disputes about defamatory content. Upon receiving a complaint, the website owners would be obliged to contact the author and ascertain their identity. If this is not possible, then the site owners must remove the material or face liability themselves.

If contact is made and the review remains in dispute (i.e., an identified author stands by what they have written), then the website will be obliged to pass on the identity of the author to the complainant so that further legal process can take place. As the material would remain published during the dispute, the government have made it clear that the process would need to be rapid and would focus on orders to remove material rather than full libel proceedings. The website will of course then be compelled to remove the content after being served such an order.

So it will become considerably easier and faster for defamation victims to take effective action. They will be able to force the website to either remove the material or pass on the identity of the author. It will also certainly tackle a huge percentage of fake negative reviews. In addition, it will become very clear as to how many dubious or false reviews are on review sites - a factor that could terminally undermine their credibility.

That is obviously good news for those that are being defamed - but it also brings with it a whole host of issues, such as:

What constitutes defamation - and thus enables a person  / business owner to complain under these new rules?

Such complaints should be based on falsehoods and 'serious harm'. It is likely that most business owners who have suffered an anonymous, negative review that is published on an influential site (i.e., one that appears high in online search results), will claim that comments are both false and doing serious harm - creating financial and emotional duress. The website owners will not be in any sort of position to judge the merits of these factors, so will have to start the mediation process. They are likely to be flooded with complaints and their costs will rise substantially. It is highly probable that they would not be able to sustain viability with this additional responsibility. 

For the hospitality industry, which is the sector most featured in terms of online reviews, there will be a strong focus on serious allegations such as food poisoning and bed bugs. These have been used all too often falsely and maliciously in the past and authors are now likely to have to substantiate their claims. That in itself is a good thing, since particularly in the case of food poisoning, rather than dubious or incorrect claims it can lead to proper reporting to the authorities whenever possible so as to protect the public. It will also serve to protect businesses from unfounded claims, some of which are entirely false, and others of which are mistaken presumptions, as the causes of  gastro-intestinal illness are complex and aspects such as the incubation period are often not understood. There are tens of thousands of such reviews that are now likely to be challenged.

All businesses and citizens can be affected by online defamation and the question of defining serious harm will need to take into account the nature of the business in particular - for example, legal and healthcare practitioners being accused of negligence or even as  KwikChex has dealt with recently, a funeral directors being accused of insensitivity and tardiness. Other common allegations such as those around criminality, including the use of words such as 'scam', rip-off and 'con' or fraud' will also be high on the list of challenges and the requirement to prove such allegations.

The dangers of harassment of genuine reviewers

Review authors that wish to stand by their comments will have their identities revealed and may then be subjected to a legal process. But more importantly, it will be necessary to ensure that they do not become victims of harassment by complainants who will have their identity and contact information and who could use harrying tactics in an attempt to force the authors to remove fair comments.

Jurisdiction - and new types of 'libel tourism'

It may be possible for non-UK businesses to still use UK laws to pursue complaints and legal action. This is particularly so where it can be shown that there is a significant number of UK based customers that could be influenced by defamatory material. In the case of many hotels and other leisure / hospitality industry operators, this is likely to be a very significant percentage.

On the flip side, the review publishers may be based overseas and try and argue jurisdiction in attempts not to abide by UK laws. At present, large businesses such as TripAdvisor and Google do acknowledge and abide by British laws, as do those based in EU countries. However, many smaller but nevertheless influential websites based overseas do not acknowledge UK jurisdiction. This could lead to an upsurge in malicious posters switching to such sites to attack British (and EU) businesses and citizens - potentially hugely undermining the effectiveness of UK legislation.

KwikChex previously provided input in terms of these issues and will send further observations to the Ministry of Justice, particularly in terms making recommendations to avoid harassment of genuine and fair reviewers and a possible flood of vexatious challenges.

Criminal prosecution

In addition to the proposed changes to civil laws, there is an upsurge of cases being reported to police under harassment or malicious communications laws. Where malicious attacks are persistent and / or numerous, victims can file complaints with the police which can lead to criminal prosecution of the authors. We consider it highly likely that this upward trend will continue - something that will put excessive strain on police resources.

Other contentious online content

Of course, it will not only be reviews that fall under the new laws - any published contentious online content involving disputed allegations will do so - *(notably blogs), which will give rise to further challenges. Google will come under particularly severe pressure because of its several resources that are used in online defamation, such as Google Reviews, blogs and YouTube.

Further and immediate solutions

KwikChex is pressing ahead with immediate measures that we believe will clearly identify the rogue elements in online reviews by subjecting many sites and cases to greater scrutiny. We believe these actions will compel the publishers / distributors of online feedback to make changes and resolve specific issues and cases. They will focus on both defamatory / hate material and also on businesses posting fake good reviews in efforts to dupe and cheat consumers. The effect will be to reinforce freedom of speech - and to help stop it turning into freedom of deceit.

Travel websites implement new policies on reviews after investigation

Credits: abc15.com By: Adam Slinger

"Travel websites are scrambling to crackdown on fake reviews before the summer vacation season after a new study alluded that some hotel owners and staff were writing false reviews under the pseudonyms of tourists

In February, the United Kingdom’s ‘Advertising Standards Authority’ said the claims on TripAdvisor.co.uk , including "reviews you can trust" and "more than 50 million honest travel reviews and opinions from real travelers", were misleading."

Above excerpts and read the full article on www.abc15.com

Credits: Yahoo Philippines

"Travel review sites have come to exert phenomenal authority over where we stay and where we eat, with the likes of TripAdvisor and Booking.com now holding millions of reviews from travelers.

Those reviews, of course, are only useful as long as they can be trusted, and in recent years it's been increasingly asserted by hoteliers and restaurateurs that they can't -- but what's a traveler to do about it?

Enter Kwikchex, the reputation management firm which has built its name on attacking TripAdvisor (and others) for accepting 'unverified' reviews -- from people who may never have stayed at the hotel or used the business -- and which recently jumped the divide into assisting consumers, with a rating system for review sites."

Above excerpts and read the full article on Yahoo Philippines

KwikChex Proof of Quality Accreditation is designed so that businesses can:

• Earn, build and protect their Reputation by committing to and maintaining high standards
• Reassure consumers by providing independent verification of quality and customer feedback
• Help satisfy customer concerns by using the KwikChex resolutions resource

	Gwydir Castle
	www.gwydircastle.co.uk
	Historic house open to the public, B&B, weddings and events.
Business Name:	Gwydir Castle
Business Address:	Gwydir Castle, Llanrwst, Gwynedd. LL26 0PN
Type of Entity:	Sole Trader
Trading Since:	1995
Senior Contacts:	Judy Corbett & Peter Welford
Opening Hours:	April - October
Phone Number:	+44 (0)1492 641687
Email Address:	info@gwydircastle.co.uk
KwikChex Membership Level:	KwikChex Proof of Quality Membership - click here to view certificate Click here to see the KwikChex Code of Ethics and Good Business Practice
Date of Joining:	02/05/2012
Secure Payments:	No online payments
Service Terms & Conditions	No - pending
Privacy Policy:	No - pending
Website Disclaimer/Usage Terms & Conditions:	No - pending
Email Disclaimer:	No - pending
Spam Checked:	Checked on sign-up - 1 report found - common with shared server. Member alerted.
Malware Checked:	Checked on sign-up
Website URL:	www.gwydircastle.co.uk
Created:	2001-03-20
Name Server:	ns1.turbodns.co.uk, ns2.turbodns.co.uk
IP Address:	78.31.109.168
Registrant:	Grant Russell
Copyright & Reporting:
KwikChex does not endorse any product, service or business. KwikChex Business Profiles are provided to assist you in your decision to use a particular business or website. Information within this KwikChex Business Profile has been provided by our member and has been manually checked by our verification team, using reliable and trusted sources, but we cannot guarantee total accuracy. The information provided on the KwikChex.com site should not form the entire basis of any decision to make a purchase or enter into a contract. You should pay particular attention to aspects such as terms and conditions and if unsure, seek further advice. KwikChex Business profiles are subject to change at any time. Last update: 07/05/2012
Contact:
If you believe any of the information in this profile to be incorrect or have concerns about this company please contact us.
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Credits: USA Today By: Laura Bly

In the latest round of an ongoing debate over the reliability of hotel reviews on TripAdvisor and other travel review sites, U.K.-based reputation management company KwikChex is launching a ratings system that ranks the sites on sliding scale.

According to Tnooz.com, KwikChex will award as many as five stars for sites where reviewers are identified and the purchase of a product or service is verified, and as little as one star for those that have little means to authenticate their content.

Above excerpts and read the full article on http://travel.usatoday.com

Reputation management company KwikChex is to beef up its efforts to protect the travel and hospitality sector against false and damaging online reviews.

The company said no other industry has been as affected by harmful review websites, so it has decided to dedicate additional resources to the sector.

Read the full article on www.travelmole.com

Google Reviews, TripAdvisor and Yelp are regarded as the most unreliable review sites, according to a new ratings system introduced by the online reputation management firm, KwikChex.

Chris Emmins, co-founder of KwikChex, said that the five-tier ratings system, which is currently being introduced to its own online site, is intended to provide consumers with information on which sites are most reliable as a time of growing concern about review fraud.

Read the full article on www.caterersearch.com

• Earn, build and protect their Reputation by committing to and maintaining high standards
• Reassure consumers by providing independent verification of quality and customer feedback
• Help satisfy customer concerns by using the KwikChex resolutions resource

	ChatandVision Ltd
	http://www.chatandvision.com
	state of the art communication products to consumers worldwide. We strive to bring our customers choices, quality content, and excellent customer-oriented services.
Business Name:	ChatandVision Ltd
Business Address:	Flat/RM 12, 25/F, Langham Place Office Tower, 8 Argyle Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Type of Entity:	Limited Company
Incorporation Date:	02 November 2011
Certificate Number:	51350997-000-11-9
Senior Contacts:	Jennifer Hart
Opening Hours:	Website is online 24/7 7 days a week
Phone Number:	0870 295 9128
Email Address:	support@chatandvision.com
Social Media Connections
KwikChex Membership Level:	KwikChex Proof of Quality Membership - click here to view certificate Click here to see the KwikChex Code of Ethics and Good Business Practice
Date of Joining:	27/04/2012
Secure Payments:	Yes
Service Terms & Conditions	Yes
Privacy Policy:	Yes
Website Disclaimer/Usage Terms & Conditions:	Yes
Email Disclaimer:	Yes
Spam Checked:	Checked on sign-up
Malware Checked:	Checked on sign-up
Website URL:	www.chatandvision.com
Created:	2010-04-29
Name Server:	NS2.RACKSPACE.COM, NS.RACKSPACE.COM
IP Address:	94.236.11.182
Registrant:	CHATANDVISION.COM
Copyright & Reporting:
KwikChex does not endorse any product, service or business. KwikChex Business Profiles are provided to assist you in your decision to use a particular business or website. Information within this KwikChex Business Profile has been provided by our member and has been manually checked by our verification team, using reliable and trusted sources, but we cannot guarantee total accuracy. The information provided on the KwikChex.com site should not form the entire basis of any decision to make a purchase or enter into a contract. You should pay particular attention to aspects such as terms and conditions and if unsure, seek further advice. KwikChex Business profiles are subject to change at any time. Last update: 09/05/2012
Contact:
If you believe any of the information in this profile to be incorrect or have concerns about this company please contact us.
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In response to worldwide concerns regarding the reliability of online reviews and the spread of review fraud, KwikChex has created a 5 tier ratings system and will be applying this to reviews websites. The core principles are provided in the attached table. We are contacting the owners of reviews sites to advise them of the initial ratings we have awarded.  More information will be provided shortly.

KwikChex Proof of Quality Accreditation is designed so that businesses can:

• Earn, build and protect their Reputation by committing to and maintaining high standards
• Reassure consumers by providing independent verification of quality and customer feedback
• Help satisfy customer concerns by using the KwikChex resolutions resource

	Courtlands Hotel
	http://www.courtlandseastbourne.com
	Courtlands Hotel is family owned & family run private hotel centrally located position in the centre of theatre land opposite to the congress theatre & the new culture centre. Within two minutes walk from the Winter Gardens & Devonshire Theatre. Located within 10 minutes walk of the town centre.
Business Name:	Courtlands Hotel
Business Address:	Willmington Gardens, Eastbourne, BN21 4JN
Type of Entity:	Sole Trader
Trading since:	27/09/2005
Senior Contacts:	Sandeep Bawa
Opening Hours:	24/7
Phone Number:	+44 (0)1323 723737
Fax Number:	+44 (0)1323 732902
Email Address:	bookings@courtlandseastbourne.com
Social Media Connections	None
KwikChex Membership Level:	KwikChex Proof of Quality Membership - click here to view certificate Click here to see the KwikChex Code of Ethics and Good Business Practice
Date of Joining:	19/04/2012
Secure Payments:	Yes
Service Terms & Conditions	Yes
Privacy Policy:	No - pending
Website Disclaimer/Usage Terms & Conditions:	No - pending
Email Disclaimer:	No - pending
Spam Checked:	Checked on sign-up
Malware Checked:	Checked on sign-up
Accreditations, Memberships & Ratings:	Graded 3 Star with AA
Website URL:	www.courtlandseastbourne.com
Created:	2005-11-06
Name Server:	NS.123-REG.CO.UK, NS2.123-REG.CO.UK
IP Address:	94.136.40.103
Registrant:	Courtlands Hotel
Copyright & Reporting:
KwikChex does not endorse any product, service or business. KwikChex Business Profiles are provided to assist you in your decision to use a particular business or website. Information within this KwikChex Business Profile has been provided by our member and has been manually checked by our verification team, using reliable and trusted sources, but we cannot guarantee total accuracy. The information provided on the KwikChex.com site should not form the entire basis of any decision to make a purchase or enter into a contract. You should pay particular attention to aspects such as terms and conditions and if unsure, seek further advice. KwikChex Business profiles are subject to change at any time. Last update: 19/04/2012
Contact:
If you believe any of the information in this profile to be incorrect or have concerns about this company please contact us.
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