Writing fake reviews has always been fraud, but this is the first time we’ve seen someone sent to jail as a result.
Quote from Brad Young, vice president, associate general counsel, at TripAdvisor, in an article on PhocusWire this week.
TripAdvisor declares fake reviewer jail term a "landmark ruling"
Executives at TripAdvisor were not over-cooking the outcome of a recent trial in Italy when they commented on the enormity of the sentence handed down.
Whilst some might argue that it is unusual for a business to make remarks on the detail contained within a judge's decision, such as the sentence, prison time is certainly enough to merit what is being described as a "landmark ruling".
But there are various elements to this story that warrant some analysis.
First of all, the nine months behind bars for the owner of a organization that sold fake reviews to Italian hospitality companies is what is inevitably grabbing the headlines - yet the sentence also included a €8,000 fine to cover damages.
Details about the scope of the "fraud", as TripAdvisor calls it, have not been disclosed but the victims of the reviews - presumably, competitive businesses - may argue that the damage to their operations and reputations exceeds the value of the fine.
Would they have perhaps felt better compensated with a higher figure for damages, rather than seeing the perpetrator sent to jail?
We may never know.
Nevertheless, TripAdvisor and other businesses in the industry will take heart from what is clearly a significant reprimand for the guilty party's behavior.
Fake reviews, and the concern - sometimes anger - that usually comes with any commentary on them, have dogged TripAdvisor since its inception.
It would be fair to say that the peak level of criticism came almost a decade ago, when the company faced a string of articles in the consumer press about the veracity of its reviews, and its systems to ensure reviews are genuine.
This extensive process quietly ticks along in the background, and the headlines questioning its review process have now largely stopped (save for the occasional comment made at a conference).
Whether the Italian dose of criminal justice will ever be replicated elsewhere remains to be seen - but it's a fairly clever strategy for TripAdvisor to seize on the outcome of this particular trial to remind those that seek to take a, well, creative approach to user reviews that laws are in place and should be some kind of a deterrent.