Amazon to crack down on fake reviews after UK regulator probe
Amazon has committed to a sweeping crackdown on fake product reviews after reaching an agreement with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Amazon has committed to a sweeping crackdown on fake product reviews after reaching an agreement with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The online marketplace has pledged to strengthen its detection systems and introduce harsher sanctions for sellers and users found to be manipulating product ratings.
The move follows a CMA investigation into concerns the platform was not doing enough to protect shoppers from misleading reviews.
The watchdog said it welcomed Amazon’s “constructive and collaborative” approach, with the commitments marking a “milestone” in its broader efforts to clean up the online reviews space.
Key undertakings include stricter systems to catch and remove fake reviews, sanctions for businesses caught inflating star ratings, and easier tools for consumers and sellers to report abuse.
Offending businesses could face bans from the platform, while reviewers posting fake feedback risk having their comments deleted or being blocked from reviewing altogether.
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The CMA also raised concerns around so-called “catalogue abuse”, where sellers hijack highly rated listings and merge them with unrelated products in a bid to mislead consumers. Amazon has agreed to take action against the practice.
“So many people use Amazon, from buying a new bike lock to finding the best coffee machine – and what’s clear is that star ratings and reviews have a huge impact on their choices,” said CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell.
“That’s why these new commitments matter and help set the standard. They mean people can make decisions with greater confidence – knowing that those who seek to pull the wool over their eyes will be swiftly dealt with.”
Amazon did not comment further on the new undertakings but has previously said it blocks hundreds of millions of fake reviews and uses a combination of machine learning and human investigators to safeguard its platform
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