news Trustpilot Group PLC

Italian Regulators Fine Trustpilot for Shortcomings Previously Outlined by Grizzly Research

Today, the Italian Competition Authority and Reuters report a €4 million fine for Trustpilot for revealed shortcomings. Their rationale for the fine mirrors our results published in December 2025 closely:

“The investigation revealed that [Trustpilot] failed to carry out adequate checks to ensure the authenticity of the reviews published on their platform, including where such reviews were labelled by Trustpilot as verified. The Authority found that the review collection services offered by the platform – promoted as tools to reduce the risk of false or misleading content and to ensure greater system integrity – actually allow businesses to select the consumers to whom review invitations are sent, with implications for the overall representativeness of the published ratings.

The Authority also established that Trustpilot failed to ensure consumers had adequate access to key information regarding the functioning of the platform, the use of paid-for services by businesses featured on the platform and other aspects relevant to consumer decision-making.

Taken together, these conducts – also implemented using interface design techniques typical of dark patterns – amount to a misleading practice, in breach of articles 20, 21, 22, 23(1)(bb-ter) of the Consumer Code.”