In the guide
This guidance is for England, Scotland and Wales
Businesses, media agencies or individuals that publish opinions online should make sure that content that has been paid for is clearly identifiable. Otherwise the business, media agency and the person publishing the content might break the law.
Competition and Markets Authority guidance
The CMA has published guidance for businesses on what they need to do to comply with the law on online reviews and endorsements.
There are three 60-second summaries:
- 'Online reviews: letting your customers see the true picture'
- 'Giving a balanced picture: do's and don'ts for online review sites'
- 'Online endorsements: being open and honest with your audience'
These summaries explain what review sites, media agencies, businesses and suppliers of goods or services should do when posting opinions online to make sure they comply with consumer protection law.
Back to topTrading standards
For more information on the work of trading standards services - and the possible consequences of not abiding by the law - please see 'Trading standards: powers, enforcement and penalties'.
Back to topIn this update
No major changes.
Last reviewed / updated: July 2022
Back to topKey legislation
Please note
This information is intended for guidance; only the courts can give an authoritative interpretation of the law.
The guide's 'Key legislation' links often only shows the original version of the legislation, although some amending legislation is linked to separately where it is directly related to the content of a guide. Information on changes to legislation can be found by following the above links and clicking on the 'More Resources' tab.