For nearly two decades, the online review industry operated like a series of walled gardens. If a business wanted to leave a platform because of rising fees or unfair policies, they faced a devastating choice: stay and pay, or leave and lose every single review they had ever collected.
In 2026, that era is officially over. The Review Portability Act has fundamentally changed how business reputation is managed.
Breaking the Chains of Platform Lock-in
The core of the new 2026 regulations is simple: Data Ownership. The Act mandates that any platform collecting "verified" reviews on behalf of a business must provide a standardized, machine-readable export of that data upon request.
This means your 4.9-star rating and 5,000 customer comments are now recognized as your intellectual property, not the property of the platform where they were originally posted.
Why This Matters for Merchants
Before this Act, legacy platforms used "reputation capture" as their primary retention tool. If you weren't happy with their service, they knew you couldn't afford to walk away and start from zero somewhere else.
In 2026, the power dynamic has shifted:
- Competitive Pricing: Platforms now have to compete on value and features rather than just holding your data hostage.
- Multi-Platform Sync: Businesses can now aggregate reviews from multiple sources into a single, unified "Trust Ledger."
- Freedom of Movement: If a platform changes its algorithm or introduces biased "pay-to-remove" features, you can move your verified history to a more transparent provider.
How Rated Stores Prepared for 2026
At Rated Stores, we didn't wait for the law to change. We built our platform on the principle of Open Reputation from day one.
1. Blockchain-Backed Ledgers
Because we store verified review hashes on a public blockchain, your reputation is decentralized by nature. Even if Rated Stores ceased to exist, the cryptographic proof of your customers' experiences would remain valid and verifiable.
2. Standardized API Exports
We provide all our merchants with full API access to their verified data. We believe that if we provide the best service, you’ll stay because you want to, not because you have to.
3. Verification Interoperability
Our systems are designed to recognize and ingest verified data from other platforms that comply with the Portability Act, allowing you to build a "Master Profile" that encompasses your entire history across the web.
The Future: A Universal Trust Score
The ultimate goal of the Review Portability Act is the creation of a Universal Trust Score. Instead of having a "Trustpilot score" and a "Google score," businesses will eventually have a single, portable reputation that follows them across every marketplace, social network, and search engine.
Final Thoughts
The Review Portability Act is the most significant victory for small businesses in the history of e-commerce. It rewards those who provide genuine service and punishes platforms that rely on coercion.
In 2026, your hard work stays with you. Your reputation is finally yours.
Explore more: