The Government of Spain, through the parties PSOE and addpresented a legislative proposal to allow the companies request the elimination of false or deceptive reviews on digital platforms such as Google, TripAdvisor, Tustpilot, Bookingand any other website or application where users can leave opinions about products or services. The objective is to protect the reputation of business against valuations that do not reflect real experiences of consumers, although the doubt of how the verification of the reviews in question will be managed.
The proposal is part of an amendment to the project of Customer Services Lawcurrently in parliamentary process. According to this amendment, companies may request the elimination of reviews that have not been made by consumers who have effectively acquired or used the good or service in question. To do this, They must prove in a reliable way that the review is false or misleading.
Google as a user
As an Internet user, you know that Google is one of the main sources of information for any question. It is true that the appearance of AI chats such as Chatgpt or Gemini, and even social networks such as Tiktok have expanded the panorama, but Google continues to predominate as the most commonly used search engine in the world, with a penetration of 89.33%.
Therefore, a client review on Google can generate a lot of impact on the reputation of a business, for better or worse. In that sense, the proliferation of false reviews on the Internet has generated concern both in the business field and among consumers. These valuations can distort market perception and affect consumer confidence, harming business and discouraging fair competition.
The proposed amendment seeks to find a way to regulate these comments, in such a way that does not “be worth everything” when qualifying A product or service. But also looking Improve transparency by companiesthat – according to the letter presented – they must clearly inform consumers about the way in which the reviews are processed. It is also contemplated that the assessments issued must refer to products or services acquired or used in the thirty calendar days prior to the date of the review. Likewise, the entrepreneur is empowered to respond to the reviews through the same channel.
Business sector reactions
The hotel and restoration sector has positively hosted the initiative. The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations (CEHAT) said that online reviews play a fundamental role in the choice of consumers, and that the proliferation of false reviews distorts market perception and affects consumer confidence. In fact, they have already launched campaigns like #stopfakereviews to combat this problem.
The hotel and restoration sector has received the government's proposal with good eyes, considering it a necessary step to protect its online reputation against unfair or fraudulent valuations. The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations (CEHAT) has been one of the most active voices in supporting this measure, highlighting that online reviews directly influence consumers' decision making, especially in sectors as competitive and exposed as tourist.
From the CEHAT they warn that the proliferation of false reviews distorts market perception, mine consumer confidence generates insecurity among entrepreneurs and can have a tangible economic impact on reserves and billing. In this sense, they have warned of the existence of fraudulent practices such as Purchase of reviews or valuations issued for blackmail purposes or unfair competition.
In fact, from the sector they have already promoted Awareness campaigns like #stopfakereviews As a pressure measure for digital platforms to take strict content verification measures. In addition, the agency requested that an active collaboration between platforms, companies and public authorities for the detection and elimination of fraudulent opinions be established, in line with what the government now proposes.
Some precedents
Platforms such as Google have already implemented measures to identify and eliminate false reviews. In 2024, the company eliminated 188 million deceptive reviews on Google Maps through automatic learning models that detect fraudulent activity patterns. In addition, they have begun to include warnings about “reviews suspected of being false” in the pages of companies.
Internationally, countries like Italy have also taken measures to combat false reviews. The Italian government has proposed legislation that contemplates the mandatory identification of users who leave opinions, the prohibition of the sale of reviews and the right of establishments to request the withdrawal of negative comments in certain circumstances.
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