Effect of fake online reviews on consumer confidence

That this House acknowledges online sales in the retail sector saw five years of growth in 2020 as coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns shifted consumer spending online; recognises that, alongside the growth in the online retail sector, online customer reviews have become an important source of product information and have a significant impact on consumer purchase decision making; applauds the investigation undertaken by independent consumer champion Which? which has uncovered a thriving industry where potentially hundreds of thousands of misleading fake product reviews are making their way onto the platform; understands that consumers need to be able to have confidence in product reviews online; is deeply concerned that the systematic manipulation of reviews highlights the need for online platforms to act urgently and do more to proactively prevent fake reviews infiltrating their sites; calls on the Competition and Markets Authority to take swift and effective action to prevent sites trading in fake reviews; and urges the UK Government to urgently strengthen online consumer protections so that sites can be held to account if they fail to keep consumers safe.