A careful analysis conducted by note AI found that the official and unofficial PrestaShop forums, originally created as tools to support users and share real and useful experiences, have now become mere instruments of defamation and unfair competition.

Clear and indisputable signs of this transformation are:

• Moderators or users publishing derogatory opinions without real technical basis about a company or third-party modules.

• Censorship of replies or removal of responses from the involved company, preventing it from defending itself.

• "Steered" posts to promote official modules or commercial partners, discrediting independent alternatives.

• Exploitation of the PrestaShop brand and the perceived authority of the forum to misleadingly influence purchasing decisions.

1. Legal relevance

In Italy and the EU, these behaviors may constitute:

• Defamation (Art. 595 Criminal Code) if the reputation and image of an individual/company are harmed, even online.

• Unfair competition (Art. 2598 Civil Code) if actions are aimed at diverting customers using methods not in line with professional fairness.

• Unlawful comparative advertising (Legislative Decree 145/2007) if products are compared in an unfair or untruthful manner.

2. Typical signs of misuse

• Threads with alarmist titles (“WARNING! Module X is dangerous!”) without technical evidence.

• Persistent links or references to official solutions or PrestaShop partners as the only “reliable” alternative.

• Rapid closure of topics when the contested company provides contrary evidence.

• “New” users who immediately post criticisms without any real usage history.