With the only genuine way to fight Online Information Distortion (OID), being countering it with Online Information Integrity (OIII), the question is – how will Veri-Good guarantee its own information integrity? The answers to that are below

• Strong verification of business standards. For a business to become a Veri-Good business, they must prove that they are meeting agreed standards. These standards are transparent – available for all consumers to access, and are consistent for each sector. There is an initial verification process carried out by Veri-Good verification agents – and thereafter, customers of the business are able to report any occasions where the standards are not met and there has been no immediate resolution achieved. The Veri-Good team will then work to resolve the issues and do all possible to ensure they are not ongoing. The commitment that Veri-Good businesses make to excellent standards means that they must address any shortfalls in standards to maintain their Veri-Good status.

• ‘Checking the checkers’. Consumers are the first line of defence of integrity. With transparent information available on standards, they can easily flag any instances where deficiencies are detected. And – crucially, unlike any other business providing assurances on business standards, there will be independent checks on Veri-Good processes and management, including the business verification and resolutions services. For example, in the UK, we are arranging for Trading Standards Officers to carry out these checks.

We believe that when you call a service Veri-Good, and it stands for Verified Good Standards, you should not hide behind ‘catch-all disclaimers’ and our taking transparency to unprecedented levels demonstrates our own commitment to Online Information Integrity  (OII).