Consumer Groups Unite with Travel and Tech Sector to Raise Concerns Over Proposed Italian Law on Fake Reviews
The Coalition for Trusted Reviews, a cross-industry global group of online platforms, has joined together with associations eu travel tech and Netcomm, as well as Italy-based consumer organisations Altroconsumo (part of Euroconsumers Group) and Codacons, to write to Ministers about Italy’s proposed legislation that would unfairly limit online reviews of Italian tourism businesses. While the signatories support the Italian Government’s efforts to protect consumers and honest businesses from fraudulent review activity, they warn that the current draft Bill risks being misaligned, duplicative, and ineffective in addressing the real drivers of the fake-review economy.
“The intent behind this proposal is right - the execution is not,” Anoop Joshi, Chief Trust Officer for Trustpilot and Spokesperson for the Coalition, said in a joint statement. “Fake review sellers are the true source of the problem. Unless legislation squarely targets those commercial operations, the law will harm Italian tourism, putting it at a disadvantage globally, without delivering meaningful protection for consumers and businesses.”
Risk of fragmented and easily exploitable rules
The Coalition notes that online platforms operating in Europe already comply with stringent cross-border rules governing online reviews and consumer protection.
Introducing further layers of national rules makes compliance more complex for legitimate businesses, while offering limited additional benefit to consumers.
“Europe has made real progress toward coherent oversight of online reviews,” Joshi added. “Layering national rules on top of existing frameworks creates parallel systems that are harder to enforce and easier for fraudsters to exploit.”
Misplaced focus may burden compliant businesses
The Coalition is concerned that the proposal focuses heavily on new requirements for platforms and accommodation providers - businesses already investing in fraud detection and consumer protection - instead of directing enforcement at the commercial entities selling fake reviews for profit.
This approach risks increasing administrative requirements for legitimate businesses, diverting resources away from enforcement and allowing review sellers to adapt or move their operations.
Damaging trust in Italian tourism
The Coalition fears that the proposals would reduce the number of reviews available to consumers, making it more difficult for Italian tourism businesses to attract guests. Reviews provide essential information to consumers looking to book accommodation, and industry analysis shows properties with more reviews generally receive more bookings. Reducing the reviews would put Italian accommodation businesses at a disadvantage compared to their peers in other Southern European markets.
The law will also increase the ability for unscrupulous businesses to seek to boost their own reviews by selectively requesting only negative reviews to be removed, when they are beyond the two-year threshold. This would be against consumers’ interests and damage trust to the Italian tourism sector.
Call for a more targeted and effective approach
The Coalition for Trusted Reviews is urging policymakers to refine the proposal so that it delivers real impact by:
● Focusing enforcement on commercial fake review-selling operations.
● Strengthening cooperation and information-sharing between authorities and platforms
● Making better use of existing rules that already govern online reviews and consumer protection
“Consumers and honest businesses need regulation that dismantles fake-review networks, not rules that simply create more paperwork for those already acting responsibly,” Joshi said. “We stand ready to support policymakers in shaping approaches that are practical, proportionate and focused on the real drivers of the problem.”
About the Coalition for Trusted Reviews: Founded in 2023, the Coalition for Trusted Reviews is a cross-industry collaborative group committed to safeguarding and promoting trustworthy consumer reviews worldwide.
The Coalition is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity, and through collaborative initiatives, they aim to share industry best practices for maintaining the authenticity of reviews; instilling confidence in consumers worldwide.
For more information, contact the Coalition’s secretariat: CoalitionforTrustedReviewsPAUK@dgagroup.com