The Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM), by Resolution No. 32067 of October 13, 2026, published guidelines intended to assist businesses in adopting appropriate measures to ensure the legality of online reviews.
The issuance of the Guidelines was provided for by Law No. 34 of March 11, 2026 (Annual Law on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises), Article 18 of which intends the objective of combating unlawful online reviews concerning products, services, and offerings provided by businesses in the restaurant sector and by tourism facilities located in Italy, including lodging and spa facilities.
The Guidelines stipulate that businesses should provide consumers with clear and easily accessible information regarding how reviews on their platforms are published, managed, categorized, and moderated, as well as the criteria used to classify reviews as “verified” or “authentic.” This information should be published on the same interface where the review is visible to the user, including through a clearly identified link.
The measures that professionals should take can be divided into three categories:
a) tools designed to verify that the consumer has actually used or purchased the reviewed product or service (such as, for example, requesting a credit card statement confirming the purchase of the product or sending a link to leave a review to the email address used for the purchase, only after the order has been completed);
b) tools designed to enable the traceability of the reviewer (for example, a system for registering the reviewer on the platform);
c) automated tools to detect fraudulent activity by identifying anomalous signals, including those related to the documentation provided with the review (for example, the presence of many reviews within a short period of time originating from the same IP address).
The Guidelines also provide clarification on practices that may manipulate user reviews, as well as on issues related to the timeliness of reviews and the handling of outdated reviews.
The final text was adopted by the AGCM after consulting with the Communications Regulatory Authority (AGCOM), the Data Protection Authority, the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, and the Ministry of Tourism.
The Guidelines may be supplemented or updated in the event of changes to national or European legislation, or significant developments in case law or their application. In any case, the AGCM will review them within one year of their publication.
(Fabrizia Serpieri)
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