The Competition and Markets Authority's 2025 assessment of consumer-review platforms is now the reference document for compliance. Six requirements repeat across every enforcement letter. If your platform meets fewer than four, expect a Section 174 information request within the year.
Requirement 1 — Verification per review
Every published review must display how it was verified. Aggregate 'we verify our reviews' claims no longer meet the standard.
Requirement 2 — Detection at scale
Reasonable steps means a documented, testable moderation stack — not a spam filter and hope. Platforms must show evidence of graph analysis or equivalent network-level detection.
Requirement 3 — Fair reply rights
Businesses must be able to reply to every review, positive or negative, without paying for the privilege.
Requirement 4 — Transparent dispute route
A public workflow, SLA, and appeal path — with human decision-makers at the appeal step.
- Named workflow steps
- Published SLA
- Human appeal decision
- Public overturn rate
Requirement 5 — No pay-to-hide
No commercial arrangement may cause a lawful negative review to be hidden or downranked. Enforcement action in 2025 named two platforms on exactly this point.
Requirement 6 — Public transparency log
Quarterly, with action counts, false-positive rate and disputes overturned. Without it, moderation is unaudited.
FAQ
Where do I file a complaint about a platform?
Report to CMA via gov.uk/complain-cma. Include screenshots and dates; complaints with evidence are triaged faster.
Do these rules apply to Google reviews?
Yes. Google is treated as a review platform under the DMCC Act and the same duties apply to its UK-facing surfaces.
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Discussion (2)
- Priya S.· 2 days ago
Really practical breakdown — the four-part reply structure is now on our till-side crib sheet. Thank you.
- Dan (Cannock Plumbing)· 5 days ago
Went from 12 reviews to 47 in three months following almost exactly this playbook. It works.