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Customer reviews have become an integral part of online shopping
on several websites and apps but the regulator has expressed
concerns that some comments may not be genuine.
Facebook has removed 188 groups and disabled 24 user accounts
whilst eBay has permanently banned 140 users since the summer,
according to the CMA.
The CMA has also found examples via photo-posting app Instagram
which owner Facebook has promised to investigate.
"Millions of people base their shopping decisions on reviews,
and if these are misleading or untrue, then shoppers could end
up being misled into buying something that isn’t right for them
– leaving businesses who play by the rules missing out," said
CMA Chief Executive Andrea Coscelli.
The CMA said neither company was intentionally allowing such
content and both had committed to tackle the problem.
"We maintain zero tolerance for fake or misleading reviews and
will continue to take action against any seller that breaches
our user polices," said a spokeswoman at eBay.
Facebook said it was working to stop such fraudulent activity,
including exploring the use of automated technology to help
remove content before it was seen.
"While we have invested heavily to prevent this kind of activity
across our services, we know there is more work to do and are
working with the CMA to address this issue."
(Reporting by Costas Pitas, Editing by Paul Sandle)
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