CNIL: Online Directories Containing Reviews Must Respect Professionals' Rights
Online directories that allow ratings and reviews of professionals such as doctors and lawyers must have safeguards in place to protect their rights and reputations, French watchdog CNIL said Monday.
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Directories that allow internet users to rate professionals are legal as long as they don't disproportionately infringe on people's rights, the DPA said. The directories don't necessarily need to ask professionals to consent to having their information included if there are guarantees in place to protect rights such as privacy and reputation.
These rights include allowing professionals to refuse to be included in and to leave a service if negative comments seriously affect their businesses and if they can't respond freely to the comment due to confidentiality rules, CNIL said.
Website publishers should generally comply with requests for deletion of a listing and/or all content concerning a professional, CNIL said. If that option doesn't exist, prior consent may be required, it added.
Website publishers must always comply with specific rules of the Consumer Code, such as the obligation to clearly inform people about the methods of publication, moderation and handling of reviews and the procedure for reporting a review. Professionals listed in directories must also be told why their data is being used and the conditions for using it, CNIL said.
Those whose concerns or complains aren't addressed by the website directory publisher within a month can file a complaint with the DPA, it added.