Fake consumer reviews
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dhewitt@abta.co.uk Thu, 08/14/2025 - 09:31
The Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers Act has brought in new offences around fake reviews.
These apply to you if you publish consumer reviews e.g. on your website, on social media or in print. Also, if you publish ratings based on consumer reviews, including if the reviews and scores were originally collated by someone else such as a review website.
The offences are, for example:
For full details of the new offences, see part 13 of Schedule 20 to the new Act.
The Competition & Markets Authority is expected to use its new enforcement powers in this area.
It has produced guidance for businesses on how to comply, see the Fake Reviews Guidance.
It is also running a webinar, details as follows:
On Thursday 4 September, the CMA is holding a webinar to help businesses who publish customer reviews, and their advisors, understand what steps they should take to comply with legislative changes introduced in April 2025.
This session is open to all businesses, and advisors, who publish customer reviews and is intended to help businesses navigate the law. The registration link is here.
If you have any questions, contact ABTA Member Support on membersupport@abta.co.uk or 020 3117 0597.
Continue reading...
Full Page image
dhewitt@abta.co.uk Thu, 08/14/2025 - 09:31
The new law
The Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers Act has brought in new offences around fake reviews.
These apply to you if you publish consumer reviews e.g. on your website, on social media or in print. Also, if you publish ratings based on consumer reviews, including if the reviews and scores were originally collated by someone else such as a review website.
The offences are, for example:
- Submitting, or commissioning another person to submit or write—
- a fake consumer review, or
- a consumer review that conceals the fact it has been incentivised.
- Publishing consumer reviews, or consumer review information, in a misleading way.
- “publishing” includes disseminating, or otherwise making available, by any means.
- “consumer review information” means information that is derived from, or is influenced by, consumer reviews.
- publishing in a “misleading way” includes (for example)—
- failing to publish, or removing from publication, negative consumer reviews whilst publishing positive ones (or vice versa).
- giving greater prominence to positive consumer reviews over negative ones (or vice versa).
- omitting information that is relevant to the circumstances in which a consumer review has been written (including that a person has been commissioned to write the review).
- In addition, businesses need to take reasonable steps to make sure they’re not displaying fake reviews. If you display reviews or ratings etc based on reviews, you should have a policy that prohibits fake reviews, and conduct a risk assessment so you can work out your own procedures that will help you to detect fakes and act on them, as necessary.
For full details of the new offences, see part 13 of Schedule 20 to the new Act.
Guidance and advice
The Competition & Markets Authority is expected to use its new enforcement powers in this area.
It has produced guidance for businesses on how to comply, see the Fake Reviews Guidance.
It is also running a webinar, details as follows:
Supporting compliance – CMA webinar 4 September, 14.00
On Thursday 4 September, the CMA is holding a webinar to help businesses who publish customer reviews, and their advisors, understand what steps they should take to comply with legislative changes introduced in April 2025.
This session is open to all businesses, and advisors, who publish customer reviews and is intended to help businesses navigate the law. The registration link is here.
If you have any questions, contact ABTA Member Support on membersupport@abta.co.uk or 020 3117 0597.
Continue reading...
