TripAdvisor fined half a million euros for fake reviews | The Independent
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TripAdvisor fined half a million euros for fake reviews
The company will appeal the Italian regulator's findings
Tuesday 23 December
A hotel pool
The travel advice website
has been fined half a million euros (?392,000) by an Italian regulator after complaints about fake reviews on its pages.The Italian competition authority said the company should stop “publishing misleading information about the sources of its reviews” while false reviews were still viewable on its website.A spokesperson for TripAdvisor said it would appeal the findings, saying it believed its processes were “extremely effective in protecting consumers from the small minority of people who try to cheat our system”. “We firmly believe that TripAdvisor is a force for good -- both for consumers and the hospitality industry,” the spokesperson said.Measures deployed by the website to fight bogus reviews include a team to detect fraudsters as well as automated tools and algorithms.The Federalberghi Italian hoteliers association, which was involved in the initial complaint against the website, alongside the country’s national consumer’s union, welcomed the decision.
Most popular winter holiday destinations
Most popular winter holiday destinations
3. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
At number three is Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh. The resort city offers December temperatures of up to 32 degrees Celsius and an abundance of sandy beaches.
4. Dubai, UAE
Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates, grabs the number four spot. The city offers travellers year-round hot weather and a view from the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
Getty Images
5. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam makes number five on the list. Lucky travellers can go ice skating on the city’s famous canals, but be warned: they don’t freeze every year!
Francisco Anzola
6. Playa de las Americas, Tenerife
The Spanish island of Tenerife’s Playa de las Americas comes in at number six, no doubt helped by the Spanish city’s reputation for all-night partying. A good way to bring in the new year.
7. Costa Adeje, Tenerife
Those who prefer something a little more restful opted for the Costa Adeje, number seven on the list and another of Tenerife’s many attractions. The coastal resort offers a more tranquil alternative to the Playa de las Américas, ideal for families.
Alicia Lopez
8. Bangkok, Thailand
Travellers looking to go a little further afield put Bangkok at number eight, with the Thai capital offering year-round hot weather and a host of major tourist attractions. The ginormous Grand Palace, residence of the Kings of Thailand since the 18th century, is a must see.
9. Playa Blanca, Lanzarote
Lanzarote’s Playa Blanca, on the mainland of Spain, comes in at number nine. The town’s name is well-deserved: its centrally located main beach offers soft white sand and warm temperatures, even in the winter months.
Luis Miguel Bugallo Sanchez
10. Berlin, Germany
Berlin rounds off the list at number ten. The holiday season is much loved in the German capital, where traditional Christmas markets offering festive fare pop up all over town.
Arild Vagen
“We are happy with the decision by the antitrust authority, which goes in the right direction to offer greater protection for consumers and businesses,” the group’s director-general Alessandro Nicara said. The association says unscrupulous hotel owners sometimes leave false bad reviews of neighbouring competitors, which could skew holidaymakers’ decisions.In 2012 the UK advertising regulator the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that TripAdvisor could not advertise all of its reviews as being genuine.Last month a couple were . The ‘fine’ was eventually refunded after a social media outcry.Italy’s competition authority, which was set up in 1990, has been particularly active recently.This week it launched an investigation into Google, Apple, Amazon, and games publisher Gameloft over "free-to-play" games on mobile devices that charge consumers money for doing things in-game.
UPDATE 14 July 2015: A spokesperson for TripAdvisor said in a statement: “We are extremely satisfied that TAR has overturned the ICA ruling and confirmed what we always knew - that TripAdvisor is a hugely valuable and reliable resource, that there is no misleading message regarding the source of TripAdvisor’s reviews, and the processes TripAdvisor uses to maintain the integrity of our content are extremely effective."We appealed the ICA’s original ruling as we believed that it was unreasonable and we strongly disagreed with its findings. The TAR has confirmed that the ICA’s ruling was completely unwarranted and by extension has acknowledged the industry-leading tools TripAdvisor has to protect our site from fraud.
"Millions of people use TripAdvisor every day to help them make better travel and booking decisions and get the best possible value for their hard-earned money. We see this as a victory for consumers as well as an endorsement of TripAdvisor’s commitment to help democratize the travel industry.”
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Continue to our siteChinese owner has to pay ADO 2.5 million euros: judge - Xinhua |
ADO can now claim the money immediately. If the Chinese company UVS fails to pay, it also has to pay additional interest costs and court costs. However, UVS can appeal against the verdict.
The defendants and their lawyers were not present in the courtroom, just like in the court session on Dec. 28 last year.
If a defendant does not appear in Dutch court for civil proceedings the judge may pronounce a default judgment, a judgment in the absence of the defendant, if the summons were transferred correctly by the plaintiff.
Although the judge said that the summons might not have been handed properly to UVS in China according to the Chinese rules, the judge also said that Dutch law is applicable in this case and that in an urgent case like this a default judgment is possible.
In addition, the judge noted that ADO had informed UVS of the court case in several ways and that during the case before the Enterprise Division of the Amsterdam Court UVS had mentioned the existence of the case at the The Hague court.
On December 19 last year the Enterprise Division of the Amsterdam Court already ruled that UVS boss Wang Hui should be suspended from his function as chairman of supervisory board of ADO and that all shares owned by UVS will, for now, be taken over by a third party. In addition, the Enterprise Division demanded an independent investigation into the events at the club since the Chinese take-over almost two years ago.
With the verdict the Enterprise Division mostly acknowledged the complaints made by ADO. The club had decided to file a case against the major shareholder from China for mismanagement. One cannot demand money at the Enterprise Division and therefore ADO filed a lawsuit at the court in The Hague to force UVS to meet their financial obligations.
ADO are currently having financial problems, according to the club because the promised money from China did not arrive. The Dutch football association KNVB had placed ADO in financial Category 1, which means that the club is under surveillance. If the club does not submit a balanced budget before February 1, 2017, the future of the club might be at risk.
Related News
Chinese owner has to pay ADO 2.5 million euros: judge
THE HAGUE, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese owner United Vansen has to pay Dutch soccer club ADO Den Haag an amount of 2,477,605 euros (2,611,973 U.S. dollars), including interest, the court in The Hague decided on Thursday.
ADO had demanded 2,347,496 euros from the Chinese marketing company, led by Wang Hui, which was part of a total 3,728,000 euros agreed in August 2015 as part of the Chinese take-over of the Dutch club.
Judge Gerard van Ham acknowledged the demands of ADO and said that "United Vansen failed in the execution of this agreement".
ADO can now claim the money immediately. If the Chinese company UVS fails to pay, it also has to pay additional interest costs and court costs. However, UVS can appeal against the verdict.
The defendants and their lawyers were not present in the courtroom, just like in the court session on Dec. 28 last year.
If a defendant does not appear in Dutch court for civil proceedings the judge may pronounce a default judgment, a judgment in the absence of the defendant, if the summons were transferred correctly by the plaintiff.
Although the judge said that the summons might not have been handed properly to UVS in China according to the Chinese rules, the judge also said that Dutch law is applicable in this case and that in an urgent case like this a default judgment is possible.
In addition, the judge noted that ADO had informed UVS of the court case in several ways and that during the case before the Enterprise Division of the Amsterdam Court UVS had mentioned the existence of the case at the The Hague court.
On December 19 last year the Enterprise Division of the Amsterdam Court already ruled that UVS boss Wang Hui should be suspended from his function as chairman of supervisory board of ADO and that all shares owned by UVS will, for now, be taken over by a third party. In addition, the Enterprise Division demanded an independent investigation into the events at the club since the Chinese take-over almost two years ago.
With the verdict the Enterprise Division mostly acknowledged the complaints made by ADO. The club had decided to file a case against the major shareholder from China for mismanagement. One cannot demand money at the Enterprise Division and therefore ADO filed a lawsuit at the court in The Hague to force UVS to meet their financial obligations.
ADO are currently having financial problems, according to the club because the promised money from China did not arrive. The Dutch football association KNVB had placed ADO in financial Category 1, which means that the club is under surveillance. If the club does not submit a balanced budget before February 1, 2017, the future of the club might be at risk.
[Editor: huaxia]Irish police seize over 3 million euros worth of cannabis
Source:Xinhua Published:
Irish police said on Wednesday they have seized about 160 kg of cannabis herb with a street value of 3.2 million euros ($3.45 million) in an operation targeting at organized crime gangs. The seizure was made on Tuesday afternoon in County Meath, just 50 km north of Dublin. The seizure followed a joint intelligence-led operation involving the Revenue Commissioners Customs Service, the Drugs & Organized Crime Bureau and the Special Crime Task Force supported by officers from the eastern region. As part of the operation, a number of persons and vehicles were intercepted and a business premise was also searched. Four Irish males, aged between 25 and 61, were arrested for drug trafficking offenses and are currently detained at local police stations. According to Irish police, joint investigations by customs and police officers are continuing both domestically and internationally with regard to this significant seizure of controlled drugs destined for the Irish market.
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