An official ban on flogging

By karenbryan

March 28, 2008

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From next month “flogging” or misleading commercial blogging will be outlawed by the European Union. Under the new rules companies who post glowing reviews of their own products or services or pay others to enhance their reputation. will be liable to prosection.

It’ll be interesting to see if transgressors will be tracked and prosecuted. It sounds like the EU might have to employ an army of investigators. I also wonder if prosecutions will be successful as that will hinge on whether the information posted is likely to affect the buying decision of the average customer.

For a start what is an average customer? You could even argue that recent publicity about flogging should have made the customer aware that user generated reviews are not always reliable or honest.

In some respects perhaps the new rules are a little late. I recently wrote about the declining appeal of user generated reviews due to information overload as well as mistrust of the content.

Do you think this new legislation is timely, necesary and/or enforceable? Would negative publicity about offenders be the most more effective deterent.