Penalties for bogus reviews inadequate

Federal regulators took woefully inadequate action recently on fake online reviews of a consumer product. Such action should be more aggressive and tougher.

The Federal Trade Commission accused Houston-based Sunday Riley Skincare of directing the posting of glowing online reviews of its products on the website of Sephora.

The leader of the beauty products maker instructed her employees to do so, and then used technology to hide the IP addresses of the posters to mask that employees were writing the four- and five-star reviews.

The FTC’s settlement put an end to the bogus review posting but imposed no financial penalties. Two commission members objected, with one saying the settlement was unlikely to deter other would-be wrongdoers. True. Even an increase of one star in a rating on Amazon.com gives a big jump to sales. That cha-ching is what entices manufacturers and distributors to consider such shady dealings.

Reviews are available on nearly every product website, and frequently are examined by would-be buyers. Fake reviews are unfair and can be dangerous to the unsuspecting public.

In the Sunday Riley case, the brazenness is jolting. The chief executive sent an email to her staff to post reviews, saying in part: “Make sure to NOT compare the product to other products, to not use foul language and to be very enthusiastic without looking like a plant.”

The FTC found multiple fake reviews, going on for years, but its settlement with Sunday Riley called for the practice to end but no fines. If the company posts further fake reviews, civil penalties will kick in.

Retailers have an obligation to monitor product reviews on their websites. Some companies remove those that aren’t signed by a verified customer. Amazon said it prevented more than 13 million bogus reviews on its website last year.

Self-policing is fine, but federal regulators should step up their game.

The FTC should take online commerce seriously to protect the public and to punish the cheaters.

That means implementing sanctions.

—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/Associated Press

Weigh in on state parks

When it comes to the future of Pennsylvania’s park system and how to pay for sustaining it, people in the Erie region have reason to take it more personally than most nature and recreation lovers.

Presque Isle State Park, after all, annually draws more than 4 million visitors, more than 10 percent of the total for all 121 state parks. It is an ecological and recreational treasure cherished by locals and visitors alike, and is a major driver of Erie County’s tourism economy.

The issue is on the radar now because officials with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, with extensive public input, are in the later stages of preparing a plan meant to guide parks management for the next 25 years. A preliminary version of that DCNR report found that Pennsylvanians value their parks and want them to be upgraded and maintained.

The infrastructure and maintenance needs of Pennsylvania’s parks have grown to $500 million, according to the preliminary report. As with the state’s network of bridges and other infrastructure, that’s a result of not keeping current with those needs and allowing the backlog to swell.

That turns into a downward spiral that can only be addressed by concerted action to pay down the backlog and keep up going forward.

DCNR said it will continue gathering input on the plan and recommendations from stakeholder groups through February, and will issue a final parks report by the end of summer. But the window for general public comment closes on Dec. 31.

We urge those who treasure the state’s network of parks, and who understand what a unique and valuable asset Presque Isle is, to join the conversation.

We hope that input won’t just convey what you value about and need from the park system, but also the expectation that elected officials will respond to the final report with prompt and sustained action.

There are some public resources worth paying for because of their intrinsic value to our quality of life. Our state parks are among them.

—Erie Times News/Associated Press