Sanctions of up to €900,000 seek to end misleading and unfair practices in e-commerce
ADVERTISEMENTThose selling fake online reviews could face significant fines, the Dutch Consumer and Market Authority said today (23 August), as the regulator seeks to crack down on misleading internet practices.
Until now, the regulator, known as the ACM, could until now only fine online stores that buy or use fake reviews to promote their product or service, but now those selling them can also face a sanction as much as €900,000 per violation.
Fake reviews can lead to customers choosing a less suitable product, and leads to unfair competition with sites that play by the rules, ACM said.
"Consumers should be able to rely on reviews when comparing providers. By tackling wrong practices and by educating businesses and consumers, we want to reduce online deception,” Edwin van Houten, Director of ACM's Consumer Department, said in a statement.
In recent months, ACM also investigated misleading countdown timers — which put pressure on shoppers by ticking off the time until an online promotion ends.
EU laws such as the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive also aim to protect consumers by fighting misleading online behaviour, and the European Commission has said it wants to ensure the online world is as fair as regular offline shops.
If the new Commission set to take office in November follows up on that, it could mean a new Digital Fairness Act, complementing a recent swathe of Brussels rules to curb big tech giants.
