Yazılar

Amazon Commits to Tougher Measures Against Fake Reviews After UK Investigation

/in /tarafından

Amazon has agreed to implement stronger actions to combat fake reviews on its platform, following a four-year investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The deal includes new enforcement powers that allow Amazon to sanction British businesses found using deceptive tactics to boost product ratings, as well as measures to detect and remove fraudulent content more efficiently.

The CMA said on Friday that Amazon’s commitments also address concerns about “catalogue abuse” — a practice where sellers attach their products to highly rated but unrelated items in order to mislead shoppers and inflate rankings. In severe cases, businesses violating these rules could face bans from Amazon’s platform altogether. Individual users who post fake reviews may also be prohibited from submitting further reviews.

According to the CMA, approximately 90% of consumers rely on online reviews when making purchasing decisions, making the integrity of reviews crucial for fair competition and consumer trust. Amazon’s new obligations will include robust systems to identify and eliminate manipulated reviews and enforce stricter penalties for offenders.

The regulator began its investigation into Amazon and Google in 2021 over potential breaches of consumer protection law. In January, Google also made similar commitments to improve the reliability of online reviews. CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell praised Amazon’s actions, stating, “These new commitments matter and help set the standard.”

The CMA has recently been granted new enforcement powers allowing it to independently determine if consumer law has been broken. It can now issue fines and compel businesses to improve their practices without needing to go through lengthy court proceedings.

In parallel, the CMA is conducting a broad assessment of online review platforms as part of its ongoing work to ensure compliance with its newly updated reviews guidance issued in April.

Apple and Amazon Defeat $600 Million UK Lawsuit Over Alleged Collusion

/in /tarafından

Apple and Amazon have successfully defended themselves against a mass lawsuit in the UK, which accused the tech giants of colluding to remove resellers of new Apple products from Amazon’s platform. The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled on Tuesday that the lawsuit could not proceed.

The case was brought by consumer law academic Christine Riefa on behalf of around 36 million British consumers who had purchased Apple or Beats products. Riefa’s lawyers claimed that in 2018, Apple and Amazon conspired to block the majority of resellers of Apple and Beats-branded products from Amazon’s UK marketplace, allegedly reducing competition for these products.

Apple and Amazon argued that the lawsuit, valued at £494 million ($602 million) plus interest, was baseless and urged the tribunal to dismiss it. The tribunal agreed with the tech giants, ruling that Riefa had not demonstrated sufficient independence or robustness to represent the affected consumers. This decision was based on concerns about third-party funding for the litigation.

The refusal to certify the case was notable because the standard for certification is typically low, making it an unusual ruling in such legal matters. Neither Riefa’s legal team nor spokespeople from Apple and Amazon immediately commented on the outcome.