Fake restaurant reviews: they harm two out of three operators

The Fipe-Confcommercio Studies Office calculates that online reviews account for up to 30% of a restaurant's turnover. 70% of consumers base their choice of restaurant on social posts. "But in 2024, 8.6% of the reviews posted were false (according to TripAdvisor data) and 66% of consumers said they regularly came across unreliable reviews". This is the premise of a survey by Epam, the Public Establishments Association of Confcommercio Milano, according to which 77% of Milanese operators believe that "reviews on the major platforms have an impact on business performance". For 60% of those interviewed, false or unverified reviews 'constitute a real problem that damages the reputation and turnover of their business'.

"In Parliament, as Minister Adolfo Urso reminded the Confcommercio assembly, there is the proposed legislation (in the annual bill on SMEs) before the Senate that envisages concrete measures on online reviews:from the time limitation for their publication (within 15 days from the use of the service), to the need to verify their authenticity, to the right for reviewed companies to reply and request the removal of misleading or outdated comments. "For the first time, a right to digital oblivion would be recognised for businesses by explicitly prohibiting the trading of reviews," recalls a note.

"We appreciate the Government's initiative," said Lino Stoppani, president of Epam and Fipe. "We are facing a decisive step for the credibility of the digital market and for the protection of thousands of businesses, especially micro and small ones, which cannot defend themselves against false or malicious reviews. It is now crucial not to back down in the face of pressure from large international platforms'.

In recent months, the Italian proposal has given rise to a wide-ranging debate with European institutions and the main digital operators, from TripAdvisor to Trustpilot, which have expressed a contrary opinion. For this reason, Fipe-Confcommercio, together with Hotrec, the European association of reference for tourism, has decided to support it through technical contributions and the campaign"Stop Fake Reviews", to reiterate the urgency of a more transparent and effective regulatory framework.

'The hope is that the parliamentary path will continue quickly, preserving the structure of the measure. We need clear legislation that protects both consumers and merchants,' Stoppani concluded, 'promoting competition based on merit and not on the manipulation of opinions.