People who post false reviews online have been warned that they could face legal action in future.
Internet giant Amazon this week started proceedings against more than 1,000 people who allegedly agreed to write gushing reviews to boost sales of certain books.
The online retailer argued that its own reputation was diminished by “misleading” and “inauthentic” reviews.
Amazon alleges that it had uncovered more than 1,000 individuals who were offering to give glowing appraisals to titles for payments of just a few pounds.
The case is currently centred on America, but it is thought that many websites are already examining how the problem impacts on their UK operations.
Ultimately a greater willingness to take cases to court could have implications for businesses which are the victims of malicious reviews or, in some cases, try and manipulate the ratings in their favour.
It is understood that the travel website TripAdvisor is also looking at ways to crack down on users who post misleading reviews about restaurants and hotels, or sometimes endorse places which in fact don’t exist.
The problem was brought into sharp relief by a recent case in Italy, where a newspaper set up the profile of a fake restaurant to expose alleged flaws in the site’s rankings system.
Within the space of a month, the entirely fictitious eatery was rated as the best restaurant in town.