Global reviews platform Trustpilot today announces it has launched a consumer verification tool as part of continued efforts to protect and promote trust online, and help consumers shop with confidence.

The announcement follows new research, commissioned by Trustpilot, which found that 85 percent of British consumers have said they would be willing to prove their identity if it helped to protect others from misinformation on the internet – suggesting most are keen to play their part in tackling the issue.

The study also found that more than three quarters of Brits believe misinformation and fake news is a significant problem in society — with over two thirds agreeing that the issue makes it harder for them to trust businesses and shop with confidence online. Worse still, one in five admit that online misinformation has negatively contributed to mental health problems such as depression or anxiety.

Yet the research did reveal cause for hope; 94 percent of those surveyed said they would be more willing to help fight misinformation and share their identification, provided their personal information was handled securely, whilst nine in ten said they would be more motivated to prove their identity if they could remain anonymous to the public. What’s more, when looking at reviews specifically, 78 percent said that they would be more likely to purchase from a business if they knew the reviews they were reading were from real people – suggesting reviews verified as being written by real people would help build consumer confidence.

In response to these findings, Trustpilot is introducing the ability for consumers to verify their identity when posting reviews on the platform. ‘Consumer Verification’ will be available on the Trustpilot platform on an opt-in basis, and will require reviewers to safely and securely share a copy of their government-issued photo ID, as well as take a selfie. Crucially, consumers will still retain the option to keep their identity, and any information used to verify themselves, anonymous to both businesses and the public. Those successfully verified would be published with a verified badge, reassuring other consumers and businesses that the review is written by a real person.

The announcement comes as part of ongoing work by Trustpilot to protect and promote trust online, and follows the release of business verification and consumer warning banners on the pages of businesses who abuse the platform, in June last year.

Carolyn Jameson, Chief Trust Officer at Trustpilot said: “We know consumers are concerned about misinformation across the internet, but they also want the ability to share their reviews about businesses openly and publicly, without having to be invited to do so. Reviews offer a vital source of information to let consumers shop with confidence, and this is simply another step we are taking to protect and promote trust online.

“Many consumers will already be familiar with identity verification processes — for example in online banking, and the process we have introduced to get verified is very easy to do. We should remember how important our opinions and experiences are when we share them online for the good of others.

“Our research shows that people are willing to play their part to help prevent others from being misled online, and having listened to their needs, we’re providing our Trustpilot community the ability to opt to do this safely, securely, quickly, whilst still protecting their anonymity — it’s one of many actions we are taking this year to maintain the integrity of our platform and do what we can to promote trust online and protect consumers.”