Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

Bell Pledges To Guard Against Reviews Of Its Apps By Employees; Agrees To $1.25 Million Penalty

The Canadian Press, 14 Oct, 2015 01:22 PM
    OTTAWA — Bell Canada has reached a deal with the federal Competition Bureau involving the anonymous posting of favourable reviews of company apps by Bell employees.
     
    Under the deal, in which Bell also agreed to a $1.25-million administrative penalty, the company has "affirmed its commitment not to direct, encourage or incentivize its employees or contractors to rate, rank or review apps in app stores," the bureau said Wednesday.
     
    The issue came to light in November 2014 when certain Bell employees were encouraged to post positive reviews and ratings of the free MyBell Mobile app and Virgin My Account app on the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store.
     
    The did so without disclosing that they worked for Bell, the bureau said.
     
    The apps allow Bell customers to manage existing mobility accounts directly from their mobile devices.
     
    In announcing the agreement, the bureau praised Bell's top management for having acted quickly to have the reviews and ratings removed "as soon as it became aware of the matter."
     
    "Nevertheless, the bureau determined that these reviews and ratings created the general impression that they were made by independent and impartial consumers and temporarily affected the overall star rating for the apps," it said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Plane That Crashed In Manitoba Last Month Had Wrong Fuel: Investigators

    The Transportation Safety Board says the Navajo Chieftain aircraft operated by Keystone Air had engine trouble shortly after takeoff on Sept. 15 

    Plane That Crashed In Manitoba Last Month Had Wrong Fuel: Investigators

    Vigil To Be Held For Family Devastated By Deadly Crash In Vaughan, Ontario

    Vigil To Be Held For Family Devastated By Deadly Crash In Vaughan, Ontario
    Nine-year-old Daniel Neville-Lake, his five-year-old brother Harrison, their two-year-old sister Milly and their 65-year-old grandfather died in the crash in Vaughan

    Vigil To Be Held For Family Devastated By Deadly Crash In Vaughan, Ontario

    Son And Grandson Of B.C. Premiers Takes Over As Chairman Of BC Hydro

    Son And Grandson Of B.C. Premiers Takes Over As Chairman Of BC Hydro
    Brad Bennett 's father served as B.C.'s premier and his grandfather, W.A.C Bennett, created BC Hydro when he led the province in the 1960s

    Son And Grandson Of B.C. Premiers Takes Over As Chairman Of BC Hydro

    'Minor Electrical Fire' In Vehicle Involved In Vaughan Crash That Killed Grandfather And Three Kids

    York Regional Police seized the jeep belonging to Marco Muzzo after the deadly crash on Sunday in Vaughan, Ont., north of Toronto.

    'Minor Electrical Fire' In Vehicle Involved In Vaughan Crash That Killed Grandfather And Three Kids

    Defrocked Arctic Priest Eric Dejaeger Pleads Guilty To More Sex-Related Charges

    Defrocked Arctic Priest Eric Dejaeger Pleads Guilty To More Sex-Related Charges
    He is already serving a 19-year sentence for 32 sex offences against Inuit children that he committed between 1978 and 1982 in the remote village of Igloolik

    Defrocked Arctic Priest Eric Dejaeger Pleads Guilty To More Sex-Related Charges

    Supporters Of Controversial Sunken B.C. Ship HMCS Annapolis Bouyed By Fishy Visitors

    Supporters Of Controversial Sunken B.C. Ship HMCS Annapolis Bouyed By Fishy Visitors
    HMCS Annapolis went down amid controversy in Halkett Bay off Gambier Island in April, ending years of legal battles from critics who argued paint on the ship's hull contained toxic chemicals

    Supporters Of Controversial Sunken B.C. Ship HMCS Annapolis Bouyed By Fishy Visitors