You see a video, a product catches your eye, and an “add to cart” button is already blinking in the corner of the screen. A few seconds later the order is placed, paid for, and on its way — all without leaving the app. That’s how TikTok Shop works: a closed-loop model in which the path from watching a piece of content to completing a purchase has been cut to the bare minimum. That very immediacy is its greatest strength and, at the same time, the source of its most serious concerns.
The phenomenon of fake reviews in the digital space has evolved from a marginal image issue to a central focus of market supervision authorities and EU legislators. The contemporary ontology of this phenomenon extends beyond primitive content fabrication to encompass any form of communication that, by distorting the actual consumer experience, misleads the recipient, directly influencing their decision-making process. Legally, a fake review is considered not only a completely false message, but also one that, by omitting important facts or manipulating context, creates a false impression of the quality of a product or the reliability of a seller. This practice is classified as unfair commercial activity if its nature causes or is likely to cause the average consumer to make a transactional decision they would not otherwise make, thus violating the fundamental principles of fair dealing.
