FTC finalizes rule banning fake reviews, including those made with AI
techcrunch.com
techcrunch.com
Summary:
* No fake or disingenuous reviews. This includes AI-generated reviews and reviews from anyone who doesn’t have experience with the actual product.
* Businesses can’t sell or buy reviews, whether negative or positive.
* Company insiders writing reviews need to clearly disclose their connection to the business. Officers or managers are prohibited from giving testimonials and can’t ask employees to solicit reviews from relatives.
* Company-controlled review websites that claim to be independent aren’t allowed.
* No using legal threats, physical threats or intimidation to forcefully delete or prevent negative reviews. Businesses also can’t misrepresent that the review portion of their website comprises all or most of the reviews when it’s suppressing the negative ones.
* No selling or buying fake engagement like social media followers, likes or views obtained through bots or hacked accounts.
> According to the final rule, the maximum civil penalty for fake reviews is $51,744 per violation. However, the courts could impose lower penalties depending on the specific case.
> “Ultimately, courts will also decide how to calculate the number of violations in a given case,” the Commission wrote.