Amazon and Google are both under investigation over their perceived failure to crack down on fake reviews.

The Competition and Markets Authority in the United Kingdom has opened the formal investigation, following an initial May 2020 probe.

They will now “gather further information to determine whether these two firms may have broken consumer law by taking insufficient action to protect shoppers from fake reviews.”

Andrea Coscelli, the CMA’s Chief Executive, said: “Our worry is that millions of online shoppers could be misled by reading fake reviews and then spending their money based on those recommendations. Equally, it’s simply not fair if some businesses can fake 5-star reviews to give their products or services the most prominence, while law-abiding businesses lose out.

“We are investigating concerns that Amazon and Google have not been doing enough to prevent or remove fake reviews to protect customers and honest businesses. It’s important that these tech platforms take responsibility and we stand ready to take action if we find that they are not doing enough.”

Amazon claims it is doing its due diligence, taking down over 200 million fake reviews last year, before any customers were able to see them.

The regulator has not provided a deadline for the investigation, but will take both companies to court if it believes there has been a breach.