False Online Opinions Ended With Fines Of Up To One Million Euros

Starting today, companies must state whether the reviews that come with their goods and services are from people who really With clear and detailed information on the way in which said reviews are processed, whether they have used or acquired them.

amendment of Common law to protect consumers and of unfair competition lawwhich governs the necessary information that entrepreneurs must include in the offering of goods and services, in particular, in relation to reviews made by consumers and users, shall apply to the protection of consumers and sellers.

sanctions

As such, non-compliance with these requirements will be considered inappropriate behavior To mislead can reach further sanctions million euros In the case of those classified as very serious or illegal, up to eight times the profit received for violations in Spain, and up to 4% of billing amounts if violations are committed in several countries The European Union,

In restriction systemVarious aspects of the classification of offenses by severity, responsible topics as well as prescriptions and expiration dates are considered.

Similarly, the rule establishes that to violate These requirements would be considered unfair practice because it is misleading.

The Consumers and Users’ Organization (OCU) has recalled that fake reviewIt is not uncommon to find them when buying or interested in (‘fake reviews’) products online.

In 2019, the organization confirmed the existence of companies that did a . was offered commission Or your free product in exchange for a positive review.

‘fake review’

Thus, after analyzing using the techniques of ‘big Data’ With more than 6 million opinions on 47,000 products and services, OCU found that a high percentage of them could be ‘fake reviews’: 8.4% of products on Amazon, 6.2% of hotels on TripAdvisor and up to 2.1% of bookings.

OCU remembers it transferred the results of this report to both National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) as well as the General Directorate of Consumption, to which they did not elicit any response.