Amazon gives undertakings to CMA to curb fake reviews

Amazon, one of the largest online retailers in the world, has given undertakings to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) committing to enhance its existing systems for tackling fake reviews, which are now explicitly banned under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA).

The undertakings also tackle CMA concerns about ‘catalogue abuse’. This is where sellers hijack the reviews of well-performing products and add them to an entirely separate and different product, in order to falsely boost its star rating – and mislead consumers. In practice, this could mean a consumer thinks they have found a pair of 5-star headphones, but on closer inspection, the majority of reviews are about a mobile phone charger.

Amazon has also agreed to sanction businesses that boost their star ratings via bogus reviews or catalogue abuse, including bans from selling on the website. Sanctions will also be applied to users who post fake reviews, who could be banned from posting reviews altogether.

These undertakings build on Amazon’s existing processes to ensure rigorous and robust systems are in place – meaning consumers can have greater trust and confidence in both star ratings and online reviews.

The update comes as part of continued action from the CMA to protect consumers online. Earlier this year, it secured undertakings from Google that saw the company make significant changes to its processes for tackling fake reviews, including sanctions for repeat offenders.