Links and News

BBC News - 24 January 2025

BBC coverage of the CMA’s press release confirming Google’s agreement to clampdown on fake reviews. Includes comment from Consumer group Which? suggesting the need to be backed up with strong enforcement action, potentially including "heavy fines" if Google failed to stick to them.

GOV.UK - 24 January 2025

Competition and Markets Authority press release on Google’s agreement to make significant changes to how it tackles fake reviews and to sanction those that write fake or misleading reviews.

Lewis Silkin Blog - 19 December 2024

Leading law firm Lewis Silkin delves into the CMA’s draft guidance on the DMCC Act’s changes to consumer that will be introduced in April 2025. What should publishers of reviews be doing?

The Sun - 23 November 2024

Just in time for Black Friday, The Sun’s Mel Hunter dives into the world of fake reviews, providing shoppers with tips and advice to hopefully spot the fakes.

The Independent - 27 August 2024

Coverage of the FTC’s new ruling in the US. FTC’s Chair says the rule will “protect Americans from getting cheated, put businesses that unlawfully game the system on notice, and promote markets that are fair, honest, and competitive.”

University of Bristol Law School Blog - 15 January 2024

A blog article published by the University of Bristol Law School considering the implications of the DMCC Act’s legislation tackling fake reviews before the law was passed.

Which? - 04 October 2023

Which? says “Don't just trust that overall score”, giving tips on spotting fake reviews. TruthEngine agrees, and thankfully legislation is now here to provide more protection to consumers – our technology helps organisations detect the harder to spot fake reviews.

Which? - September 2023

A detailed paper from consumer group Which? following six years of research into online reviews that sets out how platforms can take a Safety by Design approach to tackle fake reviews.

The Guardian - 18 June 2023

This article highlights Amazon’s view that social media platforms and messaging apps are not doing enough to prevent a “cottage industry of fraudsters” soliciting fake reviews.

World Economic Forum - 10 August 2021

Four years ago (!), WEF said online reviews would influence $3.8 trillion of global e-commerce spend in 2021. It said that if only 4% of reviews were fake (using official figures and self-reporting from online platforms including Trip Advisor, Yelp, TrustPilot and Amazon), that would directly influence £152billion of spend.