This solution, called “Polygraph”, should help improve consumer confidence by detecting fake reviews on the Internet.
The opinions posted online by consumers can be an excellent barometer for estimating the quality of a product or a sales service. While it is not uncommon to refer to them to guide a choice, these assessments are not always reliable. It is within this framework, and to fight against comments, ratings or other publicly available fraudulent evaluations, which the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) is about to make available to its investigators, “Polygraph”, a tool to detect them
A Bercy decree, examined on December 15 by the National Commission for Data Processing and Liberties (CNIL), should allow the implementation of this device, the development cost of which has been valued in 2019 at 300,000 euros over two years, which should make it possible to pin down professionals guilty of disseminating suspicious opinions, which is considered a crime, reports this Tuesday, January 3, The Informed.
Exploitation of raw data
In detail, according to the Ministry of Transformation and the Public Service, Poygraphe will recover and use many “relevant data” on the platform in question (site, telephone number, location, etc.) as well as on the contributor (name or nickname , identifier on the platform, URL of its page, etc.). In addition, elements concerning the reviews (text of the comment, text of the possible response to the review, etc.), or connection data and other event logs (adding or deleting an account, nature of the requests made, modification of content by administrators, etc.).
The algorithm then goes“identify suspicious comments using various indicators of suspicion defined with experienced investigators on this subject”, indicates the Ministry of Transformation and the Public Service. The last phase consists of “the visualization of the results in the form of a interface for investigators”. With regard to the management of the use of this data, the DGCCRF wishes to be able to keep them for up to 6 months from their collection. In addition, the right for Internet users to objecting to these treatments will not apply.
The Constitutional Council could veto
However, this device could be challenged by the Constitutional Council. The latter had estimated, in the context of an article from the 2020 finance law which authorized the tax services to collect and use the data made public on online platforms, such as Facebook or Instagram for the purpose of detecting fraud to the tax domiciliation, that “the data which reveal the alleged racial origin or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs or philosophical or trade union membership of a person, genetic and biometric data and those concerning health and life or sexual orientation”.
However, the use of online reviews could potentially allow the DGCCRF to be able to develop a personal profile based on all the comments of an Internet user. For example, the organization could be able to deduce the religious opinion of a person if, for example, the latter left a review on the site of a halal butcher or even know his state of health after having spotted a notice left on an optician’s website.
