Updated Reviews Website Terms & Conditions

If you operate an online platform for publishing reviews, it is important to remember that you aren’t merely hosting opinions but publishing content that people may rely on when deciding whether to buy, book, subscribe, or otherwise engage with another business. Your website must set out rules which set clear standards for the integrity of reviews – particularly where consumers are likely to rely on them when making a transactional decision. Not only that – your rules should also protect you.

Updated Reviews Website Terms & Conditions

This, the Reviews Website Terms & Conditions have been comprehensively updated to enhance compliance with the fake reviews provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

The updated template strengthens the rules and framework around consumer reviews, incentivised reviews, and the handling of fake reviews, while keeping the document practical and usable for real-world review moderation.

What’s Changed in this Update?

1. Clearer rules for consumer reviews

The updated clauses tighten up what reviewers can and can’t do, and reinforce that reviews must be genuine and must not mislead, including by omission (for example, by concealing an incentive).

2. Stronger provisions for incentivised reviews

Where any incentive is offered or expected (discounts, freebies, entry into a prize draw, early access, affiliate benefits, etc.), the updated terms set clearer disclosure requirements and give you practical means to enforce them.

3. A more robust compliance framework for fake reviews

The DMCC Act’s fake reviews regime is about more than just banning fake reviews. It also covers information derived from them and expects platforms to take reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent and remove prohibited content. The updated template expands the compliance toolkit available to the site operator, including options for screening, checks, moderation, evidence requests, removal, annotation, restricting visibility, and account sanctions.

4. Avoiding misleading presentation of reviews

The updated terms reinforce that reviews (and any related information such as averages, rankings, summaries, or highlighted snippets) must not be presented in a misleading way, helping you align your site rules with the compliance goal of accuracy and transparency.

Who Are These Terms & Conditions For?

This document is designed for the owner or operator of a website specialising in reviews, including:

• Independent review platforms
• Niche or industry-specific review sites
• Review directories and comparison-style sites that publish user reviews and related information

More Updates Coming Next Month

An all-new Reviews Policy will be published in February along with updates to a number of our e-commerce website terms and conditions templates. Whether you host customer reviews directly on your own site or use a third-party platform, these updates will help you to boost your DMCC Act compliance and ensure that consumers are provided with the best possible information.