Major online companies, including Amazon, Expedia, and Trustpilot, have joined forces to combat fake reviews. The group, known as the Coalition for Trusted Reviews, aims to share information and best practices to deter fraudsters. Fake reviews can harm a company’s reputation and mislead consumers into purchasing low-quality products or services. A recent government report estimated that fake product reviews alone could cost UK consumers £312 million annually. The government plans to address this issue through the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Bill, while the US Federal Trade Commission is proposing similar action. As AI technology advances, there is a growing concern about an arms race between fraudsters and retailers, with AI potentially making it easier and cheaper to generate convincing fake reviews. The Coalition for Trusted Reviews will combat this by establishing industry-wide standards, sharing best practices, and exchanging intelligence on companies involved in selling or using fake reviews. Amazon’s vice president, Dharmesh Mehta, emphasized the need for collaboration to effectively shut down fraudulent review activity and protect consumers. Travel booking site Tripadvisor, which identified 1.3 million fake reviews on its platform in 2022, also stressed the importance of cooperation in combating this issue.
Original news source: Amazon, Expedia and Trustpilot unite to fight fake reviews (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a few minutes to read the article. Then, ask each group to work together to write a summary of the article in their own words. Afterward, have each group share their summaries with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the class to form pairs or small groups. Assign each group a role (e.g., consumer, retailer, government representative) and have them discuss their opinions on the issue of fake reviews. After they have had time to discuss, ask each group to present their opinions to the class. Facilitate a class discussion by asking follow-up questions and encouraging students to respond to each other’s opinions.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down a list of vocabulary words from the article on small pieces of paper. Put the papers in a hat or bowl. Divide the class into two teams and have one person from each team take a turn drawing a word from the hat. They must then attempt to draw the word on the board while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all the words have been drawn or the time limit is reached.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Assign one student in each group to argue in favor of fake reviews, and another student to argue against them. Give them a few minutes to brainstorm their arguments and then have a debate within their group. Afterward, ask each group to share their main points with the class, taking turns to present the pros and cons of fake reviews.
– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Give each student a copy of the article. Set a timer for 5 minutes and ask the students to read the article silently and underline the most important points. After the 5 minutes are up, reset the timer for 2 minutes and ask the students to write a brief summary of the article using their underlined points. When the 2 minutes are up, have the students share their summaries with a partner. Finally, ask a few students to share their partner’s summary with the class.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the purpose of the Coalition for Trusted Reviews?
2. How can fake reviews harm a company’s reputation?
3. How much money does the government estimate that fake product reviews cost UK consumers annually?
4. What actions are the UK government and the US Federal Trade Commission proposing to address the issue of fake reviews?
5. What is the concern regarding AI technology and fake reviews?
6. What steps will the Coalition for Trusted Reviews take to combat fake reviews?
7. What did Amazon’s vice president emphasize in relation to fraudulent review activity?
8. How many fake reviews did Tripadvisor identify on its platform in 2022?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Major online companies, including Amazon, Expedia, and Trustpilot, have joined forces to combat fake reviews. The group, known as the (1)______ for Trusted Reviews, aims to share information and best practices to deter (2)______. Fake reviews can harm a company’s reputation and mislead (3)______ into (4)______ low-quality products or services. A (5)______ government report estimated that fake (6)______ reviews alone could cost UK consumers £312 million annually. The government plans to address this issue through the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Bill, while the US Federal (7)______ Commission is proposing (8)______ action. As AI technology advances, there is a growing concern about an arms race between fraudsters and retailers, with AI potentially making it (9)______ and (10)______ to (11)______ convincing fake reviews. The Coalition for (12)______ Reviews will combat this by establishing industry-wide standards, sharing best practices, and exchanging intelligence on companies involved in selling or using fake (13)______. Amazon’s vice president, Dharmesh (14)______, emphasized the need for (15)______ to effectively shut down fraudulent review activity and protect consumers. Travel booking site Tripadvisor, which identified 1.3 million fake reviews on its platform in 2022, also stressed the importance of cooperation in (16)______ this issue.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What are some potential consequences of fake reviews for consumers?
2. How do you think fake reviews impact a company’s reputation?
3. Have you ever been misled by a fake review? Can you share your experience?
4. Do you think the government should have a role in regulating fake reviews? Why or why not?
5. How would you feel if you purchased a low-quality product or service based on a fake review?
6. What steps do you think online companies should take to combat fake reviews?
7. Have you ever written a review for a product or service? How important do you think reviews are for consumers?
8. Do you trust online reviews when making purchasing decisions? Why or why not?
9. What measures do you think AI technology companies should take to prevent the creation of convincing fake reviews?
10. How do you think the establishment of industry-wide standards can help combat fake reviews?
11. Do you think the Coalition for Trusted Reviews will be successful in deterring fraudsters? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the prevalence of fake reviews impacts small businesses?
13. What other methods do you think fraudsters might use to deceive consumers, aside from fake reviews?
14. How do you think the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Bill will address the issue of fake reviews?
15. Do you think online companies should be held legally responsible for allowing fake reviews on their platforms? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. online
2. reviews
3. Coalition
4. consumers
5. government
6. fake
7. industry
8. collaboration
Meanings:
(a) A group of organizations working together for a common goal
(b) The sector or field of economic activity
(c) The governing body of a country
(d) Companies operating on the internet
(e) Not genuine or authentic
(f) Evaluations or assessments of products or services
(g) Working together to achieve a shared objective
(h) Individuals who purchase goods or services
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Which companies have joined forces to combat fake reviews?
(a) Amazon, Expedia, Trustpilot
(b) Google, Facebook, Twitter
(c) Apple, Microsoft, Netflix
(d) Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Nike
2. What is the goal of the Coalition for Trusted Reviews?
(a) To promote fake reviews
(b) To deter fraudsters and share information
(c) To mislead consumers
(d) To harm a company’s reputation
3. How much could fake product reviews cost UK consumers annually?
(a) £312 million
(b) £100 million
(c) £500 million
(d) £1 billion
4. How does the government plan to address the issue of fake reviews?
(a) By ignoring the problem
(b) By promoting fake reviews
(c) Through the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Bill
(d) By creating more fake reviews
5. What is the concern regarding AI technology and fake reviews?
(a) It will eliminate fake reviews completely
(b) It could make it easier and cheaper to generate convincing fake reviews
(c) It will only benefit fraudsters
(d) It has no impact on fake reviews
6. How will the Coalition for Trusted Reviews combat fake reviews?
(a) By promoting fake reviews
(b) By ignoring the problem
(c) By generating more fake reviews
(d) By establishing industry-wide standards and sharing best practices
7. Which company identified 1.3 million fake reviews on its platform in 2022?
(a) Amazon
(b) Expedia
(c) Trustpilot
(d) Tripadvisor
8. What did Amazon’s vice president emphasize regarding fake reviews?
(a) The importance of promoting fake reviews
(b) The benefits of fake reviews for consumers
(c) The need for collaboration to shut down fraudulent review activity
(d) The harm caused by genuine reviews
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. The Coalition for Trusted Reviews aims to combat fake reviews by sharing information and best practices.
2. Major online companies, including Amazon, Expedia, and Trustpilot, have formed a group called the Coalition for Trusted Reviews.
3. The Coalition for Trusted Reviews will establish industry-wide standards, share best practices, and exchange intelligence on companies involved in selling or using fake reviews.
4. The UK government does not plan to address the issue of fake reviews through the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Bill.
5. The US Federal Trade Commission is not proposing action to combat fake reviews.
6. AI technology advancements have raised concerns about an arms race between fraudsters and retailers in generating convincing fake reviews.
7. A recent government report estimated that genuine product reviews alone could cost UK consumers £312 million annually.
8. Fake reviews cannot harm a company’s reputation and mislead consumers into purchasing low-quality products or services.
Go to answers ⇩
Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. What is the purpose of the Coalition for Trusted Reviews?
2. How can fake reviews harm a company’s reputation?
3. How much money do fake product reviews cost UK consumers annually?
4. What actions are the UK government and the US Federal Trade Commission taking to address the issue of fake reviews?
5. How will the Coalition for Trusted Reviews combat the generation of convincing fake reviews?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. The purpose of the Coalition for Trusted Reviews is to combat fake reviews by sharing information and best practices to deter fraudsters.
2. Fake reviews can harm a company’s reputation by misleading consumers into purchasing low-quality products or services, which can lead to a loss of trust and credibility.
3. The government estimates that fake product reviews alone could cost UK consumers £312 million annually.
4. The UK government plans to address the issue through the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Bill, while the US Federal Trade Commission is proposing similar action.
5. The concern regarding AI technology and fake reviews is that as AI advances, it could potentially make it easier and cheaper to generate convincing fake reviews, leading to an arms race between fraudsters and retailers.
6. The Coalition for Trusted Reviews will combat fake reviews by establishing industry-wide standards, sharing best practices, and exchanging intelligence on companies involved in selling or using fake reviews.
7. Amazon’s vice president emphasized the need for collaboration to effectively shut down fraudulent review activity and protect consumers.
8. Tripadvisor identified 1.3 million fake reviews on its platform in 2022.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) Coalition
(2) fraudsters
(3) consumers
(4) purchasing
(5) recent
(6) product
(7) Trade
(8) similar
(9) easier
(10) cheaper
(11) generate
(12) Trusted
(13) reviews
(14) Mehta
(15) collaboration
(16) combating
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. online
Answer: (d) Companies operating on the internet
2. reviews
Answer: (f) Evaluations or assessments of products or services
3. Coalition
Answer: (a) A group of organizations working together for a common goal
4. consumers
Answer: (h) Individuals who purchase goods or services
5. government
Answer: (c) The governing body of a country
6. fake
Answer: (e) Not genuine or authentic
7. industry
Answer: (b) The sector or field of economic activity
8. collaboration
Answer: (g) Working together to achieve a shared objective
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Which companies have joined forces to combat fake reviews?
Answer: (a) Amazon, Expedia, Trustpilot
2. What is the goal of the Coalition for Trusted Reviews?
Answer: (b) To deter fraudsters and share information
3. How much could fake product reviews cost UK consumers annually?
Answer: (a) £312 million
4. How does the government plan to address the issue of fake reviews?
Answer: (c) Through the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Bill
5. What is the concern regarding AI technology and fake reviews?
Answer: (b) It could make it easier and cheaper to generate convincing fake reviews
6. How will the Coalition for Trusted Reviews combat fake reviews?
Answer: (d) By establishing industry-wide standards and sharing best practices
7. Which company identified 1.3 million fake reviews on its platform in 2022?
Answer: (d) Tripadvisor
8. What did Amazon’s vice president emphasize regarding fake reviews?
Answer: (c) The need for collaboration to shut down fraudulent review activity
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. The Coalition for Trusted Reviews aims to combat fake reviews by sharing information and best practices. (Answer: True)
2. Major online companies, including Amazon, Expedia, and Trustpilot, have formed a group called the Coalition for Trusted Reviews. (Answer: True)
3. The Coalition for Trusted Reviews will establish industry-wide standards, share best practices, and exchange intelligence on companies involved in selling or using fake reviews. (Answer: True)
4. The UK government does not plan to address the issue of fake reviews through the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Bill. (Answer: False)
5. The US Federal Trade Commission is not proposing action to combat fake reviews. (Answer: False)
6. AI technology advancements have raised concerns about an arms race between fraudsters and retailers in generating convincing fake reviews. (Answer: True)
7. A recent government report estimated that genuine product reviews alone could cost UK consumers £312 million annually. (Answer: False)
8. Fake reviews cannot harm a company’s reputation and mislead consumers into purchasing low-quality products or services. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
