What do online review laws say, in short?
For a neighbourhood business, reviews have become as important as the shop front. That creates temptation: asking a cousin for five stars, getting a staff member to post, or paying a service that promises “50 reviews in a week”. Regulators and platforms now actively look for exactly these patterns.
The good news is that the rules are easy to follow once you know them. This guide summarises the main principles in the US, the UK and the EU, with links to official sources. Laws differ by country and state, so check your local rules and take legal advice for any specific dispute.
What is banned for a business, wherever you are?
The details vary, but the same core practices are banned in all three regions:
- fake reviews: reviews written by you, a partner, an employee or anyone else pretending to be a customer, or by people who never used your business;
- bought reviews: paying an agency, a freelancer or individuals to post reviews, or swapping reviews with other businesses;
- hidden insider reviews: reviews from staff, owners or relatives that do not make the relationship clear;
- fake negative reviews posted to harm a competitor;
- misrepresenting reviews: editing a genuine review to change its meaning, or presenting reviews as “verified” when you have no way of checking them.
Our guide to getting more Google reviews covers the legitimate alternative: asking every customer for an honest review, at the right moment, with no pressure and nothing in return.
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What does the US FTC rule on fake reviews say?
The Federal Trade Commission announced its final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials in August 2024, and its questions and answers page confirms it went into effect on 21 October 2024. According to the FTC announcement, the rule prohibits:
- creating, selling, buying or spreading fake or false reviews and testimonials, when the business knew or should have known they were fake;
- offering compensation or incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment, positive or negative;
- reviews from officers, managers, employees or relatives that do not clearly disclose their connection to the business;
- company-controlled “independent” review websites;
- suppressing negative reviews through baseless legal threats, intimidation or false accusations;
- buying or selling fake social media followers or views to misrepresent influence.
The rule allows the FTC to seek civil penalties against knowing violators. Two practical points from the FTC’s Q&A: a small business owner who asks family members for reviews must ask them to clearly disclose the relationship, and managers are expected to act on red flags, such as an undisclosed review from someone sharing an employee’s surname.
Note that the FTC rule is one layer only. Even where US law allows a disclosed incentive, Google’s own policy does not: no discount or gift in exchange for a Google review.
What are the UK rules on fake reviews?
In the UK, fake reviews are covered by consumer protection law, and the Competition and Markets Authority published its fake reviews guidance (CMA208) on 4 April 2025, with a short guide for businesses. The banned practices include:
- fake reviews: reviews that look or claim to be genuine but are not;
- concealed incentivised reviews: reviews that hide the fact that they were incentivised;
- false or misleading review information, such as an average rating based on fake reviews;
- writing fake reviews or commissioning others to write them.
If your business publishes consumer reviews, for example on its own website, the CMA’s short guide says you must take reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent and remove banned reviews. That includes publishing a policy that clearly prohibits fake reviews and explains your approach to incentivised reviews, carrying out a risk assessment that is repeated regularly, and having processes to detect and act on suspicious content. If someone else moderates reviews for you, you remain responsible for taking your own steps.
What does EU law say, including the Omnibus Directive?
Directive (EU) 2019/2161, known as the Omnibus Directive, updated EU consumer law. For reviews, it added to the EU list of practices that are unfair in all circumstances: submitting or commissioning fake reviews, distorting reviews, and claiming that reviews come from real customers without taking reasonable steps to check. Each member state wrote these rules into its own law and sets its own penalties.
France is a good example of how strict this can be. Its consumer code lists these practices as always misleading, in force since 28 May 2022 (article L121-4), and the penalties for misleading commercial practices reach up to 2 years’ imprisonment and a €300,000 fine, rising to 5 years and €750,000 when committed online. These are maximums set by law, not typical fines.
Regulators do check. In a coordinated 2021 sweep reported by the European Commission, authorities examined 223 major websites and, for 144 of them, could not confirm that the business was doing enough to ensure reviews were authentic.
What can you do, and what is off limits?
This table sums up common situations for small businesses. “Google” refers to Google’s own review policy, which applies everywhere on top of the law.
| Situation | OK? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Asking every customer for an honest review (QR code, email, in person) | Yes | Normal practice, as long as there is no pressure and nothing in return |
| Replying publicly to every review | Yes | Recommended; stay polite and factual |
| A staff member or relative reviewing your business | No | Fake or undisclosed insider review; conflict of interest for Google |
| Buying a “review package” | No | Banned under US, UK and EU rules and by every platform |
| A discount or free coffee for a Google review | No | Google bans content posted because of an incentive from the business |
| A game open to all customers | Yes, with conditions | The prize must not depend on a review or a rating |
| Posting a negative review about a competitor | No | Fake review, and possibly defamation |
| Tidying up a customer’s wording before quoting it | No | Quote reviews word for word, or not at all |
| Threatening to sue over an honest but harsh review | No | Baseless legal threats to suppress reviews are banned under the FTC rule |
What do Google and other platforms add on top of the law?
Google’s page on prohibited and restricted content bans, among other things: reviews or ratings paid for directly or in kind; content posted from several accounts by the same person; content posted on a competitor’s profile to harm its reputation; content posted because of an incentive offered by the business; and conflicts of interest, including current or former employment, a contractual relationship, family ties and competitors.
Google does not go to court: it removes reviews and, in serious cases, restricts the profile. See our guide on a suspended Google Business Profile if that has happened to you.
A game such as a prize wheel is still possible on Google if it is open to every customer and the prize does not depend on a review or a rating; our article on prize wheels and Google reviews has the details. Other platforms are stricter: Tripadvisor bans offering anything, including contest entries, in exchange for a review. See our guide to managing Tripadvisor reviews.
You publish reviews on your website: what should you tell visitors?
Several rules expect businesses that show reviews to be transparent about them: the UK guidance asks for a published review policy, and EU countries such as France require information on how reviews are collected, checked, ranked and kept. A short “About our reviews” note covers the essentials in most places. If you embed Google reviews, our guide to displaying Google reviews on your website covers the technical side.
About our reviews. The reviews on this page come from [our Google Business Profile / our online form]. They are published exactly as customers wrote them, with their date, and shown from newest to oldest. [We do not offer anything in exchange for a review.] We do not allow fake reviews or reviews from our staff, their families or our suppliers, and we remove any we find. A review may be declined if it contains abusive language or personal data, or is not about [Business name]; its author is told why. Reviews stay online for up to [period]. Questions: [email].
What if you receive a fake or defamatory review?
The law protects businesses too. A review from someone who never visited, a former employee or a competitor breaks both the law and platform rules. In short: do not reply in anger, check your bookings and till records, flag the review through the platform with the right reason, reply calmly in public for future customers, and keep dated screenshots. Our page on removing fake Google reviews walks through the Google procedure.
Hello, we take every review seriously, and we have looked for your visit in our bookings and payments without finding it. If you did visit [Business name], could you email us at [email] with the date? We would like to understand what happened and reply to you directly. [First name], [role]
Defamation, meaning false statements of fact that harm a reputation, is handled differently in each country, and time limits for taking action can be short. If a review accuses you of something serious and untrue, keep evidence and speak to a lawyer quickly. A harsh but honest opinion is not defamation: answer it courteously, using our guide on replying to Google reviews.
Which risks by trade, and which mistakes to avoid?
By trade
- Restaurants and bars: the risky moment is opening week, when friends offer to “help”. A batch of five-star reviews from new accounts on the same day is easy to spot. Use a QR code on the table and ask your first real guests. See Voxtya for restaurants.
- Hair and beauty salons: do not ask stylists to post, and do not offer a discount on the next appointment for a review.
- Shops and bakeries: if you quote reviews on a poster or website, quote them word for word, with their source and date.
- Tradespeople: testimonials in quotes or brochures must be real and unedited; use a customer’s full name only with permission.
- Hotels and B&Bs: reviews arrive on several platforms with different rules. Offer nothing in exchange for any review and treat every reviewer the same way.
Compliance checklist
- No staff member, relative or supplier reviews your business.
- No reviews are bought, swapped or “gifted” by an agency.
- No discount, gift or stamp is tied to leaving a Google review.
- Any game is open to every customer and the prize never depends on a review or a rating.
- Reviews on your website keep their exact wording, date and source.
- A short note explains how reviews are collected, checked and kept.
- “Verified reviews” is only claimed if you really verify.
- Every review gets a polite reply with no customer personal data.
- Suspicious reviews are flagged and dated screenshots kept.
Mistakes to avoid
- Thinking a relative’s review is fine because it is “sincere”.
- Revealing customer details in a reply (what they ordered, their appointment, their full name).
- Threatening legal action over honest criticism.
- Hiring a “reputation” service without checking how it gets reviews: you remain responsible.
The steps at a glance
The steps to follow US, UK and EU rules and Google’s review policy.
- Audit existing reviews. Spot reviews from staff, relatives or given in exchange for something, and ask their authors to remove them.
- Stop all incentives. Remove any discount or gift tied to a review; a game must be open to all, with no link to the review or the rating.
- Ask every customer for honest reviews. Use a QR code, an email after the visit or a word in person, with no pressure.
- Publish a review policy. Explain on your website where reviews come from and how they are checked and kept.
- Reply to every review. Stay polite, factual and free of personal data.
- Flag fake reviews. Use the platform’s procedure and keep dated screenshots.
- Get advice quickly on defamation. Time limits can be short; speak to a lawyer if a review makes serious false claims.
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Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 17, 2026.
- FTC: final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024)
- FTC: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, questions and answers
- GOV.UK: CMA fake reviews guidance (CMA208)
- GOV.UK: short guide for businesses publishing consumer reviews
- European Commission: consumer protection sweeps, including online reviews
- Légifrance: French consumer code, article L121-4
- Légifrance: French consumer code, article L132-2 (penalties)
- Google: prohibited and restricted content