Clampdown on fake Google reviews announced

Google has agreed to marque "significant changes to its processes" to assistance tackle fake reviews of UK businesses, the regulator has announced.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says the steadfast - which accounts for 90% of hunt successful the UK - volition connect warnings to companies recovered to person artificially boosted their prima rating.

The worst offenders volition person their reappraisal relation deactivated, meaning they cannot person immoderate caller reviews.

Individuals who repeatedly station fake oregon misleading reviews volition beryllium banned from posting – careless of wherever they are successful the world.

Consumer radical Which? called the changes "a measurement successful the close direction" but said they would request to beryllium backed up with beardown enforcement action, perchance including "heavy fines" if Google failed to instrumentality to them.

Sarah Cardell, the Chief Executive of the CMA, said: "The changes we've secured from Google guarantee robust processes are successful place, truthful radical tin person assurance successful reviews and marque the champion imaginable choices."

The measures lone subordinate to reviews for businesses erstwhile searching connected Google oregon connected Google maps.

They volition not use to reviews of products.

A spokesperson from Google told the BBC: "Our longstanding investments to combat fraudulent contented assistance america artifact millions of fake reviews yearly – often earlier they ever get published.

"Our enactment with regulators astir the world, including the CMA, is portion of our ongoing efforts to combat fake contented and atrocious actors."

It is not the archetypal pledge to tackle fake reviews, a occupation which artificial quality (AI) is exacerbating.

Amazon and Google person been nether probe by the CMA implicit fake reviews since June, 2021 – months aft the user radical Which? concluded Google was failing to bash capable to combat fake reviews wrong its concern listings.

The CMA has said its probe into Amazon is ongoing.

Rocio Concha, the manager of argumentation and advocacy astatine Which?, said: "Which? has repeatedly exposed fake reviews connected Google, truthful the CMA securing these commitments from the tech elephantine is simply a measurement successful the close direction.

"The changes should assistance forestall consumers from being misled by unscrupulous businesses and fake reappraisal brokers.

"However, the regulator indispensable show the concern intimately and beryllium prepared to usage caller enforcement powers secured done the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act to instrumentality beardown action, including issuing dense fines, if Google fails to marque improvements."

The power of reviews existent and fake is tremendous - the CMA estimates £23bn of UK user spending each twelvemonth is "potentially influenced" by online reviews.

Google told the BBC it has already started with its restrictions connected businesses and reviews, and the CMA says Google volition study to it implicit the adjacent 3 years to guarantee enactment is being taken.

After this period, Google volition beryllium capable to alteration however it deals with fake reviews to bespeak immoderate caller changes successful technology.

Ms Cardell added: "This is simply a substance of fairness – for some concern and consumers – and we promote the full assemblage to instrumentality note."