CMA Cracks Down on Fake Reviews Racket on Facebook and Instagram
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has hit Facebook hard after discovering fake and misleading reviews are still being bought and sold on its platforms. Despite earlier promises, dodgy review groups persist, prompting fresh action.
Facebook’s Empty Promises?
Back in January 2020, Facebook vowed to crack down on fake review groups on its site—pledging to find, investigate, and wipe them out. By May 2020, it made a similar promise for Instagram after the CMA flagged the issue there too. But a follow-up probe revealed the illegal trade was still booming.
16,000 Dodgy Groups Axed
Under pressure once again, Facebook has now deleted a whopping 16,000 groups trading fake reviews. It’s introduced new measures to spot and remove such content faster, and to stop it from popping up again. These include:
- Banning repeat offenders who create fake review groups or profiles
- Rolling out automated tools to detect and delete bogus content
- Making it tougher to find fake review groups via Facebook’s search functions
- Setting up dedicated systems to keep these fixes working long-term
CMA Boss Slams Facebook’s Slow Response
“Never before has online shopping been so important. Millions rely on reviews to shop with confidence. That’s why fake reviews damage both shoppers and honest businesses,” said Andrea Coscelli, CMA Chief Executive.
“Facebook must do all it can to stop this trade. While the company has made significant changes after our intervention, it’s disappointing it took over a year to act.”
“We’ll keep a close eye on Facebook and Instagram. If they fail to honour their promises, we won’t hesitate to step in again.”
Big Changes on the Horizon for Digital Giants
This crackdown comes ahead of the Government’s plan to launch a new Digital Markets Unit (DMU) within the CMA from April 2021. With fresh laws in the pipeline, the DMU will enforce a code aimed at reigning in market-dominating platforms like Facebook.
The CMA will also advise on implementing tougher competition rules for digital markets, to protect consumers and level the playing field for businesses.
