Trustpilot Transparency Report: 3.3 million fake reviews removed in 2023, as total reviews surged to a record 54 million

• Removal of fake reviews remains steady YoY (6%), with the majority (82%) identified by Trustpilot’s automated detection technology 

• Fake detection technology becoming more sophisticated by drawing on wealth of data from increasing number of reviews on the platform 

• Increased consumer warnings and alerts on Trustpilot, alongside ongoing litigation efforts against misuse, have helped consumers understand where to spend their money smartly

LONDON, UK. EMBARGO: 00:01 23rd May 2024 –  Trustpilot, the global online consumer review platform, has today released its latest Transparency Report showcasing its efforts to uphold trust between businesses and consumers during a record year for reviews published on the platform.  

In 2023, 54 million reviews were published on Trustpilot globally, a 17% increase from 2022. Meanwhile, over a million businesses were reviewed, one-fifth of them for the first time, helping consumers make informed purchasing decisions.

Despite a surge in reviews on the platform, the removal of fake reviews has remained steady year-on-year, with Trustpilot removing 6% of total reviews in both 2023 (3.3 million) and 2022 (2.6 million). The majority of fake reviews were identified by Trustpilot’s automated detection systems, up from 68% in 2022 to 82% in 2023. This follows Trustpilot’s continued investment in technology and systems, including AI, to automatically identify unusual behavioural patterns and anomalies, while analysing hundreds of data points to detect reviews that breach the platform’s guidelines.  

Trustpilot’s active community of reviewers and businesses has also played a key role in maintaining trust. Both groups can flag a review to moderators on the platform at any time if they believe it breaches guidelines. Trustpilot also provides a whistleblower functionality, for people to confidentially report any problems. 

Anoop Joshi, Trustpilot’s Chief Trust Officer said: “It’s essential that we keep on proactively fighting fake reviews and defending genuine reviews, through investment in our bespoke technology and specialist teams, in order to maintain the integrity of our platform. Our vision is to be the universal symbol of trust for businesses and consumers alike, and in a world where misinformation is rife, that’s never been more important.”  

Trustpilot has taken decisive measures in 2023 to help consumers make informed decisions about where to spend their money. Last year, Trustpilot published almost 7,000 public consumer warnings on the company profiles of offending businesses - more than double the number compared to the previous year - and issued 46,000 warnings to businesses violating guidelines. 

This led to Trustpilot also taking legal action against 10 businesses over the past two years, with all damages from successful cases donated to consumer rights charities such as Citizens Advice in the UK. At the same time, misuse among reviewers has not been tolerated, with Trustpilot suspending or blocking access to 575,000 consumer accounts in 2023, for repeatedly violating guidelines, such as posting fake reviews or threats to businesses. 

About Trustpilot

Trustpilot was founded in 2007 with a vision to become a universal symbol of trust.

A digital platform that brings businesses and consumers together to foster trust and inspire collaboration. We are free to use, open to everybody and built on transparency.

Trustpilot hosts reviews to help consumers shop with confidence and deliver rich insights to help businesses improve the experience they offer. The more consumers use our platform and share their own opinions, the richer the insights we offer businesses, and the more opportunities they have to earn the trust of consumers, from all around the world.

More than 267 million reviews have been posted on Trustpilot, with more than 1.1 million reviewed domains, and those numbers are always growing.

Trustpilot has over 900 employees and is headquartered in Copenhagen, with operations in London, Edinburgh, New York, Denver, Melbourne, Berlin, Milan and Amsterdam.

For more information, please visit www.trustpilot.com