Amazon gives undertakings to tackle fake consumer reviews: Following an investigation, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, the Competition and Markets Authority has accepted a number of undertakings from Amazon to deal with fake reviews posted on its web platforms. Amazon has committed within 60 days to enhance its existing systems for tackling fake reviews, which are now explicitly banned under the Act (DMCCA). Commitments include enhancing methods to receive customer feedback, to take robust action against merchants involved and to monitor its sites for suspicious reviews. The undertakings also tackle CMA concerns about ‘catalogue abuse’ where sellers hijack the reviews of well-performing products and add them to an entirely separate and different product, in order to falsely boost its star rating. In its next phase of work to tackle fake reviews, the CMA will be looking into the conduct of players across the sector, including businesses whose products and services are listed on review sites, to determine whether further CMA action is needed under the new consumer regime. The CMA is currently conducting an initial sweep of review platforms following the publication of its fake reviews guidance in April. News > Press release >
Food Standards Agency seeks approval from Board on plans for national level regulation: At its Board meeting on 18th June the FSA secretariat is to hear papers on next steps for the Agencies work on ‘national level regulation’. The papers seek approval for the wider sharing of retail business data with local authorities, extension to other retailers not involved in data sharing so far and also an analysis of how food manufacturer data might also be used. View >
Supreme court sets aside mortgage debt over partners undue influence: The Supreme Court has overturned rulings of the high court and court of appeal and set aside the mortgage of a lady borrower on the basis that she had suffered undue influence from her domestic partner and that the lender should have been aware that some of the money was being used to repay debts of the partner and thus put on notice that the lady was in fact acting as a guarantor and thus may have been subject to undue influence to provide surety and that established principles relating to this should apply. View >
Crack down on illegal working: The Home Office has highlighted that there have been 9000 business visits to tackle illegal working since the General Election and 6410 arrests. Businesses are reminded of their duty to conduct right to work checks, the £60k per worker penalty that may be applied and potential disqualification as Directors and prison sentences of up to five years. The government is also to introduce new laws to clamp down on illegal working by extending Right to Work checks on those hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors like construction, food delivery, beauty salons and courier services. View >
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