Filtering reviews by rating breaks Australian law
Review gating screens out negative reviews while promoting positive ones. This breaks Australian consumer law against false and misleading claims.
When a company sends your positive review to Google but blocks your negative one, that's review gating. Google banned this practice in early 2026.
Australian law also blocks it as false and misleading ads. Example: Healthengine hid thousands of negative reviews from 2015 to 2018.
The ACCC found about 37% of online businesses were manipulating reviews. They made fake positive reviews or deleted negative ones.
You can report suspected review gating to Google. Go to Maps review, click the three dots, then report the review.
You can also report to the ACCC through its online form. If enough complaints pile up about the same business, the ACCC can open a formal investigation.
- Google banned review gating in early 2026
- Policy change
- About 37 percent of online businesses
- Businesses manipulating
Why it mattersFake reviews hide the real quality of products. This lets dishonest businesses thrive. It damages honest competitors.
AustraliaAustralian shoppers can now report suspected review gating to Google or the ACCC, giving consumers a tool to fight review manipulation.
