Your anonymous OpenTable comments will soon show your name

OpenTable’s restaurant pages currently still have a large number of reviews left by anonymous diners, but starting next month that will no longer be the case. The online restaurant reservation service is changing its policy regarding reviews so that reviews are no longer anonymous, and is even applying the new rules retroactively.as Computer beeps The company reportedly told users in an email that starting on May 22, it “will begin displaying diners’ names and profile photos in all diner reviews.” Additionally, “This update will also apply to past comments.”

The company also said in the letter: “Our diners have expressed that trust and transparency are important when viewing reviews.” This suggests that it is changing the way reviews work based on user feedback.as Computer beeps It said negative reviews can be easily matched to customer booking records based on the user’s name and the time of posting.

While this isn’t as bad as Glassdoor publishing people’s names along with employer reviews without their consent, it’s great for anyone who wants to talk about a bad experience without fear of not being welcomed back into a particular institution. This can still be very uncomfortable. Of course, the new rules ensure that negative reviews have merit, that customers dined at the restaurant legitimately, and that any complaints they mention actually deserve investigation. But we wouldn’t be surprised if people are put off or even betrayed by the decision to apply this upcoming policy to old positions.

Those who no longer want to go to a restaurant they don’t particularly like can change their name if they wish, but future reservations will be made under that name. Users can also change their profile picture if they wish and even delete comments entirely before May 22.