https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/federal-trade-commission-announces-proposed-rule-banning-fake-reviews-testimonials Skip to main content U.S. flag An official website of the United States government Here's how you know Here's how you know Dot gov The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. Https The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Translation Menu * Espanol Secondary Menu * Report Fraud * Sign Up for Consumer Alerts * Search the Legal Library Menu close Main Menu Mega * Show/hide Enforcement menu items Enforcement We enforce federal competition and consumer protection laws that prevent anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. View Enforcement Search or browse the Legal Library Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. Browse legal resources Search small [ ]Search Sections + Cases and Proceedings + Premerger Notification Program + Merger Review + Anticompetitive Practices + Rulemaking + Statutes + Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents + Warning Letters + Consumer Sentinel Network + Criminal Liaison Unit + Recent FTC Cases Resulting in Refunds + Notices of Penalty Offenses + Competition Matters Blog Take action + Report an antitrust violation + File adjudicative documents + Find banned debt collectors + View competition guidance Competition Matters Blog Competition Matters Contract Terms That Impede Competition Investigations John Newman & Amy Ritchie, Bureau of Competition June 16, 2023 View all Competition Matters Blog posts * Show/hide Policy menu items Policy We work to advance government policies that protect consumers and promote competition. View Policy Search or browse the Legal Library Find legal resources and guidance to understand your business responsibilities and comply with the law. Browse legal resources Search small [ ]Search Sections + Advocacy and Research + Advisory Opinions + Cooperation Agreements + Federal Register Notices + Reports + Public Comments + Studies + Testimony + Policy Statements + International Take action + Find policy statements + Submit a public comment Feature [ftc_hq6_400x350] Vision and Priorities Memo from Chair Lina M. Khan to commission staff and commissioners regarding the vision and priorities for the FTC. Learn more Tech@FTC Blog Tech@FTC Generative AI Raises Competition Concerns Staff in the Bureau of Competition & Office of Technology June 29, 2023 View all Tech@FTC Blog posts * Show/hide Advice and Guidance menu items Advice and Guidance Learn more about your rights as a consumer and how to spot and avoid scams. Find the resources you need to understand how consumer protection law impacts your business. Take action + Report fraud + Report identity theft + Register for Do Not Call + Sign up for consumer alerts + Get Business Blog updates + Get your free credit report + Find refund cases + Order bulk publications Consumer Advice + Shopping and Donating + Credit, Loans, and Debt + Jobs and Making Money + Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts + Identity Theft and Online Security + Scams Business Guidance + Advertising and Marketing + Credit and Finance + Privacy and Security + By Industry + For Small Businesses + Browse Business Guidance Resources + Business Blog Servicemembers: Your tool for financial readiness Visit militaryconsumer.gov Get consumer protection basics, plain and simple Visit consumer.gov Learn how the FTC protects free enterprise and consumers Visit Competition Counts Looking for competition guidance? Competition Guidance * Show/hide News and Events menu items News and Events Latest News Press Release FTC Acts to Stop Owner, Marketers of 'Smoke Away' from Deceptively Claiming Products Enable Users to Quit Smoking June 30, 2023 View News and Events Upcoming Event Sep07 Funeral Rule Workshop Thursday, September 7, 2023 | 9:30AM View more Events Sections + News + Events + Features + Topics + Data and Visualizations + Stay Connected Sign up for the latest news Follow us on social media Feature FTC Headquarters Building angle Open Commission Meetings Track enforcement and policy developments from the Commission's open meetings. Latest Data Visualization Visualization of FTC Refunds to Consumers FTC Refunds to Consumers Explore refund statistics including where refunds were sent and the dollar amounts refunded with this visualization. * Show/hide About the FTC menu items About the FTC Our mission is protecting consumers and competition by preventing anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair business practices through law enforcement, advocacy, and education without unduly burdening legitimate business activity. Learn more about the FTC Sections + Mission + History + Commissioners and Staff + Bureaus and Offices + Budget and Strategy + Office of Inspector General + Careers at the FTC + Contact Featured Lina M. Khan Meet the Chair Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. Chair Lina M. Khan * Search Show/hide Search menu items Enter Search Term(s): [ ][Search] Looking for legal documents or records? Search the Legal Library instead. Translation Menu * Espanol Secondary Menu * Report Fraud * Sign Up for Consumer Alerts * Search the Legal Library * Enforcement Show/hide Enforcement menu items + Cases and Proceedings + Premerger Notification Program + Merger Review + Anticompetitive Practices + Rulemaking + Statutes + Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents + Warning Letters + Consumer Sentinel Network + Criminal Liaison Unit + Recent FTC Cases Resulting in Refunds + Notices of Penalty Offenses + Competition Matters Blog * Policy Show/hide Policy menu items + Advocacy and Research + Advisory Opinions + Cooperation Agreements + Federal Register Notices + Reports + Public Comments + Studies + Testimony + Policy Statements + International * Advice and Guidance Show/hide Advice and Guidance menu items + Consumer Advice + Military Consumer + Consumer.gov + Business Guidance + Competition Guidance + Bulk Publications * News and Events Show/hide News and Events menu items + News + Events + Features + Topics + Data and Visualizations + Stay Connected * About the FTC Show/hide About the FTC menu items + Mission + History + Commissioners and Staff + Bureaus and Offices + Budget and Strategy + Office of Inspector General + Careers at the FTC + Contact Enter Search Term(s): [ ][Search] Looking for legal documents or records? Search the Legal Library instead. Breadcrumb 1. Home 2. News and Events 3. News 4. Press Releases For Release Federal Trade Commission Announces Proposed Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials June 30, 2023 FacebookTwitterLinkedIn Tags: * Consumer Protection * Bureau of Consumer Protection * Advertising and Marketing * Endorsements, Influencers, and Reviews * Online Advertising and Marketing The Federal Trade Commission proposed a new rule to stop marketers from using illicit review and endorsement practices such as using fake reviews, suppressing honest negative reviews, and paying for positive reviews, which deceive consumers looking for real feedback on a product or service and undercut honest businesses. "Our proposed rule on fake reviews shows that we're using all available means to attack deceptive advertising in the digital age," said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "The rule would trigger civil penalties for violators and should help level the playing field for honest companies." In its notice of proposed rulemaking, the Commission cited examples of clearly deceptive practices involving consumer reviews and testimonials from its past cases, and noted the widespread emergence of generative AI, which is likely to make it easier for bad actors to write fake reviews. The Commission is seeking comments on proposed measures that would fight these clearly deceptive practices. For example, the proposed rule would prohibit: * Selling or Obtaining Fake Consumer Reviews and Testimonials: The proposed rule would prohibit businesses from writing or selling consumer reviews or testimonials by someone who does not exist, who did not have experience with the product or service, or who misrepresented their experiences. It also would prohibit businesses from procuring such reviews or disseminating such testimonials if the businesses knew or should have known that they were fake or false. * Review Hijacking: Businesses would be prohibited from using or repurposing a consumer review written for one product so that it appears to have been written for a substantially different product. The FTC recently brought its first review hijacking enforcement action. * Buying Positive or Negative Reviews: Businesses would be prohibited from providing compensation or other incentives conditioned on the writing of consumer reviews expressing a particular sentiment, either positive or negative. * Insider Reviews and Consumer Testimonials: The proposed rule would prohibit a company's officers and managers from writing reviews or testimonials of its products or services, without clearly disclosing their relationships. It also would prohibit businesses from disseminating testimonials by insiders without clear disclosures of their relationships, and it would prohibit certain solicitations by officers or managers of reviews from company employees or their relatives, depending on whether the businesses knew or should have known of these relationships. * Company Controlled Review Websites: Businesses would be prohibited from creating or controlling a website that claims to provide independent opinions about a category of products or services that includes its own products or services. * Illegal Review Suppression: Businesses would be prohibited from using unjustified legal threats, other intimidation, or false accusations to prevent or remove a negative consumer review. The proposed rule also would bar a business from misrepresenting that the reviews on its website represent all reviews submitted when negative reviews have been suppressed. * Selling Fake Social Media Indicators: Businesses would be prohibited from selling false indicators of social media influence, like fake followers or views. The proposed rule also would bar anyone from buying such indicators to misrepresent their importance for a commercial purpose. The proposed rule follows an advance notice of proposed rulemaking the Commission announced last November. The FTC received comments from individual consumers, trade associations, review platform operators, small businesses, consumer advocacy organizations, entities dedicated to fighting fake reviews, and academic researchers. Although the FTC has taken strong enforcement action in this area recently, case-by-case enforcement without civil penalty authority might not be enough to deter clearly deceptive review and testimonial practices. The Supreme Court's decision in AMG Capital Management LLC v. FTC has hindered the FTC's ability to seek monetary relief for consumers under the FTC Act. A rule clearly spelling out prohibited practices and allowing for the judicial imposition of civil penalties could strengthen deterrence and FTC enforcement actions. The notice includes questions for public comment to inform the Commission's decision-making on the proposal. These questions focus on provisions in the proposed rule and whether other provisions should or should not be included in the rule. After the Commission reviews the comments received, it will decide whether to take the necessary next steps toward issuing a final rule. The Commission vote to approve the NPRM was 3-0. The NPRM will be published in the Federal Register soon. Instructions for filing comments appear in the notice. Comments must be received within 60 days of the publication of the notice. The primary staff member on these matters is Michael Ostheimer in the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts. Press Release Reference FTC Sues Walmart for Facilitating Money Transfer Fraud That Fleeced Customers Out of Hundreds of Millions Contact Information Media Contact Office of Public Affairs Office of Public Affairs 202-326-2180 Related actions 16 CFR Part 465: Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials For Businesses Blog: FTC and endorsements: Final revised guides, a proposed new rule, and an updated staff publication FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking Topics Protecting Consumers Advertisement Endorsements Return to top Menu Secondary Menu * Report Fraud * Sign Up for Consumer Alerts * Search the Legal Library Main navigation * Enforcement + Cases and Proceedings + Premerger Notification Program + Merger Review + Anticompetitive Practices + Rulemaking + Statutes + Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents + Warning Letters + Consumer Sentinel Network + Criminal Liaison Unit + Recent FTC Cases Resulting in Refunds + Notices of Penalty Offenses + Competition Matters Blog * Policy + Advocacy and Research + Advisory Opinions + Cooperation Agreements + Federal Register Notices + Reports + Public Comments + Studies + Testimony + Policy Statements + International * Advice and Guidance + Consumer Advice + Military Consumer + Consumer.gov + Business Guidance + Competition Guidance + Bulk Publications * News and Events + News + Events + Features + Topics + Data and Visualizations + Stay Connected * About the FTC + Mission + History + Commissioners and Staff + Bureaus and Offices + Budget and Strategy + Office of Inspector General + Careers at the FTC + Contact Footer * Privacy Policy * Policy and Notices * Accessibility * FOIA * No FEAR Act * Office of Inspector General * USA.gov