Fake online reviews and false testimonials are now banned by America's FTC

pcgamer.com:

If you're the kind of online shopper who regularly uses customer reviews to judge if something is worth buying, then you'll be pleased to know that the US Federal Trade Commission has got your back thanks to a new set of rules that ban the use of fake reviews to make a product appear better than it is.

FTC chair Lina Khan posted news of the rules coming into action on X, including the relevant email address for reporting any violations. Given how many online retailers use customer reviews to rate and rank products, these new rules are likely to have far-reaching effects, though it will take a good while to have any noticeable impact.

That's because the legislation requires customers to report any violations they've encountered for the FTC to take action, which in turn requires said customers to be aware of the ruling and how to report the issue. But as more people become aware of all of this, the rules will begin to reach their full potency.

And potent they are, as all together, they prohibit a comprehensive list of problems faced by online shoppers:

Traditionally, false reviews and testimonials have been done by people being paid to do so, or by representatives of the companies involved, creating fake accounts and pretending to be users. But the FTC makes it clear that the first of these includes the use of AI-generated fake reviews, an iceberg of which we're currently only seeing the very tip.

Of course, not all reviews one sees online are fake and companies that provide a service often thrive on the back of a host of genuine customer comments.

However, when such comments are negative, there have been cases where companies or individuals have threatened legal action or physical intimidation to get a review taken down.

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The FTC rules ban that too and includes situations