Trustpilot hit with €4M Italy fine over misleading reviews and fake ratings

Italy has fined Trustpilot €4 million for misleading consumers, accusing the review giant of distorting ratings, misusing “verified” labels, and using design tricks that made its platform appear more trustworthy than it really was.

According to the AGCM, the online review platform provided consumer rating information that wasn’t always representative of customers’ actual experiences.

For starters, Trustpilot’s systems allowed companies to select which customers were invited to leave a review, thus depicting an unrealistic positive consumer experience.

Secondly, some reviews were labeled “verified” but weren’t always checked for authenticity or for real-world purchases. This could mislead users into trusting reviews more than they should.

Furthermore, the Italian regulator wasn’t happy with the lack of transparency that was displayed by Trustpilot. Users weren’t properly informed about how rankings and scores were calculated, and the role of paid services by businesses. On top of that, relevant information was hard to find or fragmented.

Lastly, the AGCM had reservations about Trustpilot’s interface design, which the regulator described as “dark patterns.”

Important information was well hidden; the review website made things seem more trustworthy than they actually were; positive ratings and scores were displayed more prominently, while potential biases were less visible; and the difference between paid and organic content wasn’t always obvious to consumers.

These practices quietly steered users toward trusting and relying on the platform instead of offering a genuine customer experience, the AGCM states.

For engaging in unfair commercial practices, the Italian competition authority imposed a €4 million fine on Trustpilot.

The review website hasn’t responded to the Italian regulator’s fine.

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