Is It Illegal To Delete Or Change Your Business’ Online Reviews?

Online reviews can make or break a business in Australia. They help customers decide who to trust, and they can influence your search rankings and reputation.

So what happens when a review is unfair, incorrect or clearly fake? Can you remove it, edit it or offer incentives to change it?

In Australia, there are clear rules under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) about how businesses must handle reviews and testimonials. The stakes are real - the ACCC has taken action against businesses for manipulating reviews, and penalties can be significant.

In this guide, we’ll explain what you can and can’t do with online reviews, when it’s reasonable to ask a platform to remove a review, and how to manage feedback lawfully while protecting your brand.

What Does Australian Law Say About Editing Or Deleting Reviews?

In short: you must not mislead consumers. Reviews and testimonials are considered marketing content, so the same rules that apply to advertising apply to reviews.

Under the Australian Consumer Law, businesses must not engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive. If your handling of reviews creates a false impression - for example, by selectively deleting negative reviews to present a falsely positive picture - that can amount to misleading or deceptive conduct.

There are also specific provisions about representations and testimonials. Publishing fake reviews, paying for positive reviews without disclosure, or suppressing genuine negative feedback can breach the ACL’s rules about false or misleading representations. See how this works in practice under section 29 of the ACL.

The key principle is transparency. You can moderate reviews for quality and relevance (for example, removing spam or off-topic comments), but you shouldn’t curate them in a way that deceives the average consumer about the overall experience of your customers.

When Can You Lawfully Remove A Review?

You generally can’t remove a review just because it’s negative. However, there are legitimate reasons to ask a platform to take a review down or to hide it on your own website if the review is clearly problematic.

1) The Review Is Fake Or Not From A Real Customer

It’s reasonable to challenge reviews written by competitors, bots or people who never used your business. Most platforms have processes to report inauthentic reviews, and businesses have legal options when dealing with fake Google reviews.

2) The Review Is Defamatory, Abusive Or Contains Hate Speech

Reviews that make false allegations damaging your reputation or that contain abuse, hate speech or threats often breach platform policies and may be unlawful. In these cases, requesting removal is appropriate. Where a review crosses the line, it can be helpful to prepare a carefully worded cease and desist letter before escalating.

3) The Review Contains Personal Information Or Sensitive Data

If a review includes someone’s personal information (for example, staff names, phone numbers, health details or private messages) you can ask the platform to remove or redact it to meet privacy and safety obligations.

4) The Review Is Irrelevant, Off-Topic Or Promotional Spam

Posts that are advertisements, off-topic or not about your business can be moderated. This includes content that links to unrelated products or services.

5) The Review Breaches Platform Terms

Each platform (Google, Facebook, industry directories) has its own review policy. If a review breaches those rules, you can lodge a report and request removal with the platform’s moderation team.

Tip: Keep records (screenshots, timestamps, order numbers, staff statements) that support your removal request - a well-documented report is more likely to succeed.

What You Must Not Do With Reviews (High-Risk Conduct)

Here are the common pitfalls that get businesses into trouble with regulators and platforms.

Don’t Post Or Pay For Fake Reviews

Writing your own reviews, asking friends or family to post as customers, or paying for testimonials that aren’t genuine can breach the ACL. Even if the experience is real, undisclosed paid endorsements can still mislead consumers.

Don’t Cherry-Pick In A Misleading Way

Moderating for spam and abuse is acceptable, but deleting genuine negative reviews just to improve your average rating can be misleading, particularly if you present your review feed as “unfiltered”. If you host reviews on your own website, avoid filtering out legitimate critical feedback while presenting the result as representative.

Don’t Edit Customer Words To Change The Meaning

Correcting typos with the customer’s permission is one thing. Rewriting a review or changing star ratings without consent is risky and can amount to misleading conduct. It can also breach platform rules.

Be Careful With Incentives

Offering a discount “in exchange for a 5-star review” is a red flag. If you offer incentives, they should:

• Be offered for any review (positive or negative)
• Be clearly disclosed in the review or alongside it
• Never pressure the reviewer to change or withdraw a genuine complaint

Undisclosed incentives can turn an otherwise genuine review into a misleading paid endorsement.

Don’t Gag Customers With Overreaching Clauses

Some businesses try to prevent negative reviews using broad “no disparagement” clauses. That approach can backfire. Heavy-handed clauses may be unfair, and trying to stop customers from sharing honest experiences can draw regulator attention. If you need to manage reputational risk in contracts, consider carefully drafted non-disparagement terms that comply with Australian law and are used in appropriate contexts.

Don’t Threaten Customers Over Fair Feedback

Threatening legal action against a customer who leaves a fair and honest review can escalate issues and harm your brand. Focus on resolving the underlying complaint and, where needed, use platform processes or legal options proportionately.

How To Manage Reviews The Right Way (Practical Steps)

You can protect your reputation and stay compliant by setting up a simple, transparent review process.

1) Build A Clear Review Policy

Create internal guidelines that explain how your team requests reviews, what content is acceptable, when to respond publicly, and when to escalate. If you collect reviews on your own site, publish high-level rules about what you will moderate (e.g. profanity, hate speech, privacy breaches) so customers know the ground rules.

2) Request Reviews The Right Way

Invite customers to review their experience without steering them to a particular star rating. If you use incentives, disclose them clearly and make them available regardless of sentiment.

3) Respond Promptly And Professionally

Most customers want to be heard. A quick, empathetic reply - and an offer to move the conversation offline - can turn a poor review into a positive story. For structured approaches to tricky situations, see our guide to handling Google review disputes.

4) Use Platform Reporting Tools For Problem Reviews

When a review is fake, abusive or breaches policy, use the platform’s reporting tools. Provide evidence (job numbers, messages, screenshots) and keep a record of what you submit and when.

5) Standardise Your Website And Data Practices

If you publish reviews on your own site, make sure your Website Terms & Conditions explain how user content is moderated and when it can be removed. If you collect reviewer details (names, emails, order numbers), ensure you have a compliant Privacy Policy and handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act.

6) Train Your Team

Give your staff simple playbooks and template responses. Make it clear who approves removal requests and who escalates potential defamation or serious allegations to legal support.

7) Keep Everything Transparent

Transparency builds trust. If you moderate a review for policy reasons, consider telling the customer why. If you offer a make-good (like a refund) and they update their review, ensure it’s their choice and remains their words.

Review Scenarios: What’s Usually OK Vs Not OK

Scenario A: A Customer Leaves A 1-Star Review With Harsh Language

OK to respond politely, apologise and offer to discuss offline. Not OK to delete solely because the rating is low. If the content includes abuse or hate speech, report it to the platform with examples of policy breaches.

Scenario B: A Competitor Poses As A Customer And Posts A False Complaint

OK to report the review as inauthentic and provide evidence (no matching records, IP/location anomalies, staff recollections). Consider preserving evidence and, where appropriate, sending a proportionate cease and desist warning.

Scenario C: You Offer A Voucher For “A Positive Review”

Risky - it can mislead consumers. If you use incentives at all, offer them for any review (positive or negative) and ensure disclosure. Avoid suggesting the customer must change their views to access the benefit.

Scenario D: You Edit A Customer’s Words To Remove Criticism

Not OK. Editing that changes meaning can be misleading. Seek the customer’s permission for any minor edits, and never alter star ratings.

Scenario E: You Receive A Review That Names A Staff Member And Accuses Criminal Conduct

High risk. Preserve evidence, avoid arguing in public, and urgently seek advice. Report the post for privacy and policy breaches. Consider formal legal steps if the allegations are false and damaging.

Key Legal Documents To Support Your Review Strategy

While you can’t contract your way out of honest negative feedback, the right documents help set expectations and reduce legal risk.

• Website Terms & Conditions: Explain acceptable user conduct, your moderation rules and how you handle user-generated content. Clear terms help you remove spam and abusive content on your own site. Link these terms from your footer and ensure they’re easy to find.
• Privacy Policy: If you collect any personal information from reviewers (even an email address), you should publish a compliant Privacy Policy that explains what you collect, why, and how you store it.
• Customer Terms: Your sales or service terms can include a fair and proportionate feedback clause (for example, encouraging customers to contact you first to resolve issues). Avoid overreaching clauses that try to ban honest reviews.
• Non-Disparagement Clauses (Limited Use): In B2B arrangements or settlement agreements, carefully tailored non-disparagement obligations may be appropriate to prevent unfair public attacks, but they must not prevent customers from giving truthful feedback under the ACL.
• Internal Policy & Training Materials: A clear playbook for requesting, responding to and escalating reviews keeps your team compliant and consistent.

If you’re unsure where to start with customer-facing terms, a tailored set of Website Terms & Conditions plus your standard customer agreement will usually cover the essentials.

Compliance Checklist: Reviews And Testimonials

• Use genuine, verifiable customer reviews only.
• Don’t filter out legitimate criticism to create a falsely positive impression.
• Never change a customer’s words or star rating without clear consent.
• Disclose any incentives clearly, and offer them for any review (not just positive).
• Report fake, abusive or policy-breaching posts using platform tools, and document your reports.
• Publish clear rules for user content on your site and uphold them consistently.
• Protect personal information and avoid sharing sensitive data in responses.
• Escalate potential defamation or serious allegations for legal advice promptly.

Key Takeaways

• Under the Australian Consumer Law, manipulating reviews can be misleading - your approach must be transparent and fair.
• It’s usually OK to remove fake, abusive, off-topic or privacy-breaching reviews, especially where platform policies are violated.
• Posting or paying for fake reviews, cherry-picking genuine reviews to mislead, or editing customer words are high-risk and should be avoided.
• A clear internal review policy, prompt professional responses and solid documentation will protect your brand and support removal requests.
• Support your approach with the right documents - Website Terms & Conditions, a Privacy Policy and proportionate contractual clauses - and train your team.
• When a dispute escalates, use structured processes for review disputes and consider proportionate legal steps where appropriate.

If you’d like tailored advice on managing online reviews lawfully in Australia - from drafting Website Terms & Conditions and your Privacy Policy to responding to fake or harmful reviews - you can reach us at 1800 730 617 or team@sprintlaw.com.au for a free, no-obligations chat.