Instagram to Purge Fake Reviews Following UK Investigation

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority has been leading a two-year investigation cracking down on the number of fake reviews on online platforms.

Facebook and eBay have both cooperated, and the Competition and Markets Authority recently revealed Instagram will be doing its part in the investigation by removing fake or misleading reviews, according to a Law360 article.

As more people are shopping online during the pandemic, the CMA has been investigating several websites to ensure they are doing their part to protect shoppers from getting duped by fake reviews. The CMA has been diving into whether these major websites are doing their due diligence by detecting and responding to fake reviews. 

The organization is looking for:

• suspicious reviews in which one individual has reviewed an unusually high number of products or services;
• whether it appears businesses are manipulating the appearance of reviews — for example, combining excellent reviews for a product with reviews of another unrelated product; and 
• how websites handle reviews that have been paid or incentivized. 

“Most of us read online reviews to help decide which products or services to buy,” CMA chief executive Andrea Coscelli said. “During lockdown, we’re more dependent than ever on online shopping, so it’s really important that the online reviews we read are genuine opinions. If someone is persuaded to buy something after reading a fake or misleading review, they could end up wasting their money on a product or service that wasn’t what they wanted. Our investigation will examine whether several major websites are doing enough to crack down on fake reviews. And we will not hesitate to take further action if we find evidence that they aren’t doing what’s required under the law.” 

In the CMA’s investigation to rid platforms for fake reviews, Facebook and eBay were the first to be scrutinized. The CMA had cited fake reviews on the websites and sent each company letters to purge any misleading or problematic reviews. Over 100 eBay listings were found to be selling fake reviews and 26 Facebook groups were found where the members were offering these deceitful services. 

Both Facebook and eBay responded and have purged the websites of fake reviews. The CMA has announced that Facebook removed 188 groups and 24 user accounts, and eBay has removed 140 users. Both websites are committed to changing their policies to continue battling fake reviews. 

Now Instagram reviews are under inspection after some of its profiles have been found to be offering fake review services.

The CMA announced 76 profiles have been axed for offering fake Instagram reviews. The website has also agreed to amend its policy guidelines to explain that buying and selling fake Instagram reviews is prohibited, and the company has also created a strict system to fight fake reviews in the future. 

The CMA has not alleged that any of these websites have acted illegally; the organization just wants the companies to crack down on fake reviews and to secure guidelines to prevent them in the future. The sole purpose to is not have consumers misled when purchasing products or services. If the CMA does find businesses are acting illegally, there will be legal action taken to create significant changes, and if necessary, the CMA will pursue taking the matter to court. 

These measures are being taken at a critical time because during the pandemic, online shopping has become essential.

The U.K. has been on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic since late March. All nonessential businesses have been closed, and people have been quarantined in their homes, allowing only trips out to buy food or medicine. The result is that online shopping has soared.

According to the U.K. government, a third of Britain’s overall retail sales have been made online and almost half of non-food sales have been made online, both indicating record-breaking highs. 

Have you seen suspicious reviews on Instagram or other sites? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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