Italy’s competition authority has fined Trustpilot, a UK-based online review platform, €4 million for misleading consumers and failing to adequately verify the authenticity of reviews published on its service.
The penalty was issued by the Italian Competition Authority, known as AGCM, following an investigation into how the platform collects, presents, and labels user reviews. Regulators said Trustpilot did not sufficiently ensure that reviews described as “verified” accurately reflected genuine customer experiences.
According to the authority, the platform’s review collection system allowed businesses to selectively invite customers to submit feedback. This practice, regulators said, could affect the representativeness of overall ratings, even when reviews were marked as verified.
The investigation also examined how information is presented to users. The regulator stated that elements of the platform’s interface did not clearly explain how reviews are generated or how paid services may influence visibility and metrics. It said certain design features limited users’ ability to understand how the system operates.
Trustpilot said it disagrees with the findings and plans to appeal the decision. The company stated that it has policies in place to prevent businesses from selectively promoting favourable reviews and said it actively removes fraudulent content from its platform.
In response to the regulator’s claims, Trustpilot said its systems are designed to promote transparency and that both paid and non-paying businesses are subject to the same rules for review moderation. The company added that it removed millions of fake reviews in recent years as part of its enforcement efforts.
The fine forms part of broader regulatory scrutiny in Italy over online reviews and consumer information. Authorities have previously introduced measures aimed at limiting misleading or manipulated reviews across digital platforms.
The case will proceed through the appeals process as Trustpilot challenges the regulator’s conclusions.