Latest news with #fakeReviews
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Amazon agrees to tackle fake reviews in UK, says regulator
In 2024, Amazon blocked more than 275 million fake reviews worldwide. (AFP pic) LONDON : Amazon has agreed to clamp down on fake online reviews of products advertised on its UK site, Britain's competition regulator said today. Google agreed a similar UK commitment in January after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into the matter five years ago. Amazon 'has signed undertakings committing to enhance its existing systems for tackling fake reviews and catalogue abuse', the CMA said in a statement today. 'Catalogue abuse involves sellers hijacking the reviews of well-performing products and adding them to an entirely separate and different product to falsely boost its star rating', the regulator noted. The CMA said 'Amazon has committed to tough sanctions for businesses that boost their star ratings,' which could see them banned from its UK site. An Amazon spokesman told AFP that the company already invests 'significant resources to proactively stop fake reviews ever appearing… including on expert human investigators and machine learning models that analyse thousands of data points to detect risk'. They added that last year, Amazon 'blocked more than 275 million fake reviews (worldwide), with more than 99% of all products… containing only authentic reviews'. The UK regulator said that around 90% of UK consumers use online reviews when deciding on a purchase. It added that 'as much as £23 billion (US$31 billion) of UK consumer spending is potentially influenced by online reviews annually'. '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,' CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said in today's statement. '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'. The CMA in May 2020 opened an investigation into 'several major websites' that display online reviews, which led to the opening of a formal probe into Amazon and Google 13 months later. 'The undertakings from Amazon and Google, alongside our recently published advice to review platforms, paint a clear picture of what the law requires from businesses,' Cardell said. 'Following this, we're now launching the next phase of our work. 'This will scrutinise whether review platforms, businesses who list products on them, and reviewers themselves, are complying with the strengthened laws around fake reviews,' she said.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Amazon commits to stepping up fake-review fight after UK watchdog's investigation
LONDON (AP) — Amazon has pledged to beef up fight against fake reviews, Britain's competition regulator said Friday after an investigation into whether big online platforms are doing enough to crack down on phony online ratings for products and services. The Competition and Markets Authority said it secured the 'undertakings' from Amazon, after getting a similar agreement earlier this year from Google to clamp down on rogue reviews plaguing the internet. The company promised to strengthen its existing systems for fighting fake reviews. It will also tackle catalog abuse, which involves sellers boosting star ratings for a product by hijacking good reviews from a completely different one. As an example, a shopper might come across a pair of headphones with a five-star rating. But, after looking closer, most of the reviews are for a mobile phone charger, the watchdog said. As part of its commitments, Amazon has agreed to sanction anyone caught using these tactics. Businesses could be banned from selling on the Amazon website and users posting fake reviews could be banned from posting them, the CMA said. The watchdog's chief executive, Sarah Cardell, said that so many people shop on Amazon and 'star ratings and reviews have a huge impact on their choices.' Amazon's pledges '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.' The pledges apply to Amazon's U.K. website. The company said in a statement that it has zero tolerance for fake reviews and that the measures build on Amazon's existing efforts to tackle them. 'We invest significant resources to proactively stop fake reviews ever appearing on our store, including on expert human investigators and machine learning models that analyse thousands of data points to detect risk,' the company said. The CMA opened its investigations into Amazon and Google in 2021 to examine whether the two companies broke U.K. consumer law by failing to protect shoppers. It began looking into phony reviews on some big websites amid the boom in online shopping fueled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon to ban fake reviewers and punish sellers that cheat system
Amazon has vowed to ban users who post fake reviews and punish companies that cheat its rating system after a UK crackdown on the practice. The retail giant has told regulators it will block businesses from selling on its website if they are found to have boosted their star ratings via bogus reviews. It will also take action against users who post the false reviews. Amazon said it would enhance its existing systems for tackling the problem, including instances where reviews of highly rated products are hijacked and added to separate items. Amazon has been investing heavily in clamping down on fake star ratings, using expert investigators to spot bogus reviews. It is also using artificial intelligence (AI) to track how many reviews an account is posting and their sign-in activity to identify potential fraudsters. The company said it blocked more than 275m fake reviews last year. The tech giant told the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it was committed to tackling fake reviews. Sarah Cardell, the chief executive of the regulator, said it meant 'people can make decisions with greater confidence – knowing that those who seek to pull the wool over their eyes will be swiftly dealt with'. She said the CMA would consider further action if shoppers did not see real change. Around 90pc of consumers use reviews to make decisions on what to buy online. Official figures have previously suggested that at least one in 10 of all product reviews on websites used by third-party sellers are likely to be fake. A large proportion are written by bots. However, in some instances sellers 'merge' listings for new products with older and more popular items in order to acquire their review history. In 2019, a study by Which? found that reviews for a soap dispenser and a phone screen cover were listed under a pair of headphones. In a report by the Department for Business and Trade from 2023, officials said 'the presence of well-written 'subtle' fake reviews leads to a statistically significant increase in the proportion of consumers buying the product with these fake reviews'. The Amazon pledges come months after new laws came into force that make online retailers liable for false reviews on their websites. Since April, companies have been legally required to take steps to prevent and remove the publication of fake reviews. The work is being overseen by the CMA, whose interim chairman, Doug Gurr, is the former UK boss of Amazon. He was appointed last year amid a push by ministers to ensure regulators 'tear down the barriers hindering business and refocus their efforts on promoting growth'. Researchers have warned that the rise of AI threatens to lead to more fake reviews. Amazon claims that more than 99pc of all products in its store contain only authentic reviews. A spokesman for Amazon said: 'Ever since we introduced reviews in 1995 we have continued to innovate and work constructively with regulators around the world, including the CMA, to help customers share feedback that is relevant, helpful and trustworthy, in both Amazon's store and across the industry.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Amazon Vows to Tackle Fake Reviews After UK's CMA Probe
Inc. has vowed to improve its systems to tackle fake reviews on its online marketplace and act against sellers who 'hijack' good reviews following four years of the UK antitrust watchdog's investigation. The Competition and Markets Authority said Amazon gave undertakings for to make it easier to report fake reviews and sanction businesses that use good reviews for one product for an entirely different product. Alphabet Inc. 's Google gave similar commitments in January.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Amazon to ban fake reviewers and punish sellers that cheat system
Amazon has vowed to ban users who post fake reviews and punish companies that cheat its rating system after a UK crackdown on the practice. The retail giant has told regulators it will block businesses from selling on its website if they are found to have boosted their star ratings via bogus reviews. It will also take action against users who post the false reviews. Amazon said it would enhance its existing systems for tackling the problem, including instances where reviews of highly rated products are hijacked and added to separate items. Amazon has been investing heavily in clamping down on fake star ratings, using expert investigators to spot bogus reviews. It is also using artificial intelligence (AI) to track how many reviews an account is posting and their sign-in activity to identify potential fraudsters. The company said it blocked more than 275m fake reviews last year. The tech giant told the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it was committed to tackling fake reviews. Sarah Cardell, the chief executive of the regulator, said it meant 'people can make decisions with greater confidence – knowing that those who seek to pull the wool over their eyes will be swiftly dealt with'. She said the CMA would consider further action if shoppers did not see real change. Around 90pc of consumers use reviews to make decisions on what to buy online. Official figures have previously suggested that at least one in 10 of all product reviews on websites used by third-party sellers are likely to be fake. A large proportion are written by bots. However, in some instances sellers 'merge' listings for new products with older and more popular items in order to acquire their review history. In 2019, a study by Which? found that reviews for a soap dispenser and a phone screen cover were listed under a pair of headphones. In a report by the Department for Business and Trade from 2023, officials said 'the presence of well-written 'subtle' fake reviews leads to a statistically significant increase in the proportion of consumers buying the product with these fake reviews'. The Amazon pledges come months after new laws came into force that make online retailers liable for false reviews on their websites. Since April, companies have been legally required to take steps to prevent and remove the publication of fake reviews. The work is being overseen by the CMA, whose interim chairman, Doug Gurr, is the former UK boss of Amazon. He was appointed last year amid a push by ministers to ensure regulators 'tear down the barriers hindering business and refocus their efforts on promoting growth'. Researchers have warned that the rise of AI threatens to lead to more fake reviews. Amazon claims that more than 99pc of all products in its store contain only authentic reviews. A spokesman for Amazon said: 'Ever since we introduced reviews in 1995 we have continued to innovate and work constructively with regulators around the world, including the CMA, to help customers share feedback that is relevant, helpful and trustworthy, in both Amazon's store and across the industry.'
