Google has agreed to punish businesses that boost their star ratings with fake reviews and the people that post them -- specifically in the United Kingdom.
"Left unchecked, fake reviews damage people’s trust and leave businesses who do the right thing at a disadvantage,” Sarah Cardell, chief executive officer of the CMA, stated in the blog post published Friday.
Based on its leadership role, Google has made suggestions, which the CMA accepted.
Google has a review process that has helped to make it the most used platform in the world.
While these processes will address and tackle fake reviews written about businesses and services, Google has also agreed to enforce sanctions to deter businesses that try to benefit from fake reviews and sanction those that write fake or misleading reviews.
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"Warning" alerts will appear on business websites that use fake reviews to boost star ratings, the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said Friday.
Those
warnings will appear on the businesses’ Google profiles. Any business that attempts to find a way around this rule will have new reviews disabled, and repeat offenders will have their
reviews deleted for at least six months.
Google's share of online reviews in 2021 rose to 71%, up
from 67% in 2020 -- showing just how much consumers were willing to share their experience online with others.
The CMA said the plan is for Google to report on its progress to the watchdog during a three-year period.
“The changes we’ve secured from Google ensure robust processes are in place, so people can have confidence in reviews and make the best possible choices,” Cardell explained. “They also help to create a level-playing field for fair dealing firms.
Google, to address the CMA’s concerns, will put an advanced reporting function in place that allows consumers to easily and quickly report concerning reviews. This includes the ability to report incentives, such as payments or rewards in exchange for a positive review. It will apply regardless of whether the incentive is offered in person or online.
The parliament last year passed legislation to give the CMA stronger consumer powers. It takes effect in April 2025. It will enable the CMA to decide when consumer laws have been broken, without taking a case to court. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 will empower the CMA to fine firms that break the law up to 10% of their global turnover.
The CMA also has an ongoing investigation into Amazon, and will update the information as it becomes available.