Omnibus Directive

What is the Omnibus Directive?

The Omnibus Directive, officially Directive (EU) 2019/2161, is a European regulation adopted to strengthen consumer protection in the digital environment. Transposed into French law since May 28, 2022, it establishes a strict legal framework concerning online reviews and commercial practices on the Internet.

This online review regulation primarily aims to combat deceptive practices related to customer reviews: fake reviews, purchased reviews, selective deletion of negative comments, or rating manipulation. It requires professionals to be transparent about the procedures for collecting and processing the reviews they publish.

The Omnibus Directive is part of a broader approach to regulating online commerce, alongside other texts such as the GDPR for personal data protection. It applies to all businesses that collect, moderate, or display customer reviews, whether on their own website or third-party platforms.

What Obligations Does the Omnibus Directive Impose?

The customer review law resulting from the transposition of the Omnibus Directive imposes several major obligations on businesses:

Verification of review authenticity: Businesses must implement procedures to verify that published reviews actually come from consumers who have genuinely purchased or used the product or service. This verification must be documented and accessible.

Transparency about collection methods: Professionals must clearly inform consumers about how reviews are collected, processed, and published. This includes moderation criteria, publication deadlines, and any filters applied.

Prohibition of deceptive practices: The directive explicitly prohibits the purchase of fake reviews, publication of reviews written by people who have not used the product, and selective deletion of legitimate negative reviews.

Display of review origin: If reviews are solicited in exchange for compensation (discount, gift), this information must be clearly stated to readers.

What Are the Penalties for Non-Compliance?

Non-compliance with online review regulations can result in significant penalties. In France, the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control) is responsible for monitoring compliance with these provisions.

Penalties may include:

• Administrative fines of up to 4% of annual turnover or 2 million euros
• Criminal penalties for characterized deceptive commercial practices
• Obligation to publish the penalty decision (name and shame)
• Compliance injunctions with penalty payments

Beyond legal penalties, non-compliance with these rules also exposes businesses to major reputational risk, as consumers are increasingly sensitive to ethics and transparency issues.

How to Comply with Review Collect?

Review Collect natively integrates all Omnibus Directive requirements into its customer review management platform. Our solution guarantees full compliance through several key features:

Automatic buyer verification: Each review request is linked to a verified transaction, ensuring that only real customers can leave a review. This traceability is maintained and exportable to respond to any audits.

Built-in transparency: Review display widgets automatically include mandatory legal notices about collection and verification methods.

Compliant moderation: Our moderation process follows objective criteria authorized by regulations, without arbitrary deletion of negative reviews.

By choosing Review Collect, you secure your regulatory compliance while benefiting from a high-performance solution to develop your online reputation.