Business fake online reviews - legal advice

What is it about online reviews which is so unfair?

It is now scientifically proven that at least 20 per cent of all online reviews are fake. The real number of fake online reviews is far higher.

The number of fake online reviews is constantly growing. A significant number of fake online reviews are written by business owners who often act in despair after becoming themselves victims of fake online reviews.

The online review industry in the UK is unregulated. Review websites create an image of a service for the public good. In fact, they are unregulated commercial enterprises, they are not altruistic. Their stock-in-trade is YOUR reputation, and it's free.

Review websites often claim to have a right to publish without responsibility for content. This claim is false; they are the publishers and often the editors of the posts and therefore are liable to you for defamation. Read more on fake online reviews.

By Yair Cohen