I have noticed a pattern with product ratings that could lead to biased reviews. Is it legal?

I have noticed that when I get an email inviting me to review a product or service I have purchased online or physically, if I select a high rating I am taken to Google to write a review. However, if I select a low rating, I am then told “We are sorry” etc and asked what is wrong. I am not taken to Google to write a review. This would lead to very biased reviews. Is this practice legal? – Tom, Queensland

Kat says: Screening reviews and sorting feedback based on a consumer’s initial sentiment is known colloquially online as “review gating”. It’s a dark pattern that is common enough that Google has banned it outright. And while the Australian consumer law doesn’t name the practice explicitly, it is clearly prohibited under laws relating to business reviews and false and misleading practices.

In early 2026, Google made some pointed changes to its Maps User Generated Content policy. The new policy states that Google does not allow businesses to “discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers”. What you have described sounds like businesses doing both of those things.

Google also has real consequences for businesses that are found to be in breach of its policy, so your experience is worth reporting directly to Google. Penalties include removing reviews that breach the policy, placing restrictions and alerts on business profiles, limiting the business’s eligibility to receive new reviews and temporarily hiding historical reviews.

You can report suspicious reviews to Google directly through the Google Map review function, which can be done by clicking the three dots next to a review, then hitting “report review” on the Google Maps website or app. You can also report a business by hitting “suggest an edit” on their Google Maps listing, then selecting “Report business conduct”.

The Australian consumer law also prohibits review gating practices, although not explicitly. Review gating falls under making “false and misleading representations”, which are illegal.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says a business may mislead consumers if it suppresses negative reviews. What you have described certainly sounds like a means of suppressing negative reviews and promoting positive ones.

An example given by the ACCC highlights a 2020 case involving Healthengine, which admitted to not publishing a large volume of negative reviews submitted between 2015 and 2018. It also admitted to editing out negative aspects from published reviews and misrepresenting why ratings weren’t published for some health providers to consumers.

Further, the ACCC has previously reported that 37% of online businesses (in a sweep of 130) were manipulating online reviews. These businesses were found to have created fake positive reviews for themselves, or scrubbed negative reviews.

Given the ACCC’s interest in this issue, it’s also worth reporting businesses there as well, which you can do via the online form on its website. While the ACCC won’t take action in your individual matter, if multiple reports are made about the same issue or business it may be able to identify a systemic issue warranting action.

Ultimately, the practice you have described is clearly illegal, so it’s well worth making it known to Google and the regulator.

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