From 6 April 2025, new rules under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 make it illegal for businesses in the UK to publish or support fake or misleading consumer reviews.
What's banned?
- Posting or paying someone to post fake reviews.
- Hiding the fact that a review was paid for or incentivised (like free products or discounts).
- Sharing review information (like star ratings or rankings) based on fake or dishonest reviews.
- Offering services that help businesses do any of the above.
What must businesses do?
If you publish or use customer reviews, you must:
- Take clear steps to stop fake or misleading reviews.
- Remove any banned content quickly.
- Have a policy that explains your approach to reviews and incentives.
- Regularly assess the risks of fake content appearing.
Even if you use third parties to manage reviews, you're still responsible.
The new rules will be enforced by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and failure to follow these rules could lead to penalties, including fines. However, the CMA has stated that for the first three months it will focus on supporting businesses with their compliance efforts rather than enforcement whilst the new rules bed in.
To stay compliant, businesses should start reviewing their current practices now.
The legislation also introduces a ban on "drip-pricing" where consumers are shown an initial price for a product, but more charges are added to the price as they proceed to complete their purchase.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
