The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has secured a deal with Google to tackle the issue of fake online reviews, a problem that has plagued the internet for years. Following an investigation launched in May 2020, the CMA found that Google's commitment lacked sufficient measures against misleading reviews. Under the new agreement, Google will enhance its review system by removing fake reviews and implementing stricter reporting mechanisms for consumers, including warnings for suspicious activity on business profiles. This initiative recognizes the significant impact of online reviews on consumer spending, estimated at $23 billion.
As part of the deal, the CMA says that Google is putting in place "rigorous steps" to identify and remove fake reviews on Google and Google Maps.
The CMA had expressed concerns about whether the companies were doing enough to eradicate fake or misleading reviews.
While Google does lean on AI and machine learning to identify some fake reviews, it also relies on good old-fashioned human feedback.
CMA research indicating that as much as $23 billion of online spending is influenced by feedback posted publicly by previous customers.
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