FTC to Crackdown on Fake Reviews, Bots, and Other Assorted Online Skulduggery!

[Wayde Robson]

The new FTC rules go into effect October 21. That's when all those bot driven reviews on Amazon product pages artificially pumping up ratings, will be in violation. The FTC will be able to deploy its new weapon in its final rule, backed by serious teeth in the way of $50K+ fines per-violation.

But does the relatively small government agency stand a chance in efforts to hold back the tide with a broom? There will be significant hurdles to even making a dent in the problem of fakery online.

Is the FTC War on Fake Reviews Doomed to Fail?

 

[highfigh]

I would be happy if they ended spam calls and text messages, which they were required to do, but have failed. Maybe AI can help........

 

[lovinthehd]

I don't have much expectation of success.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Well, will see. Consumer Reports had an article about the prosecution of the most egregious "do not call" violations with huge fines.
Hope is eternal.

 

[Hobbit]

The new FTC rules go into effect October 21. That's when all those bot driven reviews on Amazon product pages artificially pumping up ratings, will be in violation. The FTC will be able to deploy its new weapon in its final rule, backed by serious teeth in the way of $50K+ fines per-violation.

But does the relatively small government agency stand a chance in efforts to hold back the tide with a broom? There will be significant hurdles to even making a dent in the problem of fakery online.

Is the FTC War on Fake Reviews Doomed to Fail?
View attachment 69562

I think it's a good start and an improvement. Is it, or will it ever be foolproof? Absolutely not. But I don't think it's doomed to fail and we shouldn't take a stand.

People are creative and will find loopholes and we all know the gvt doesn't move faster than people's creativeness to circumvent laws like this.

 

[mns3dhm]

Dubious reviews will continue to dupe people because you can fool some of the people all of the time. Something like 1 in 7 people responded in the affirmative when asked if chocolate milk comes from brown cows. A recent survey of college students revealed that 1 in 4 thought Judge Judy was a member of the Supreme Court. Hopefully they were just having fun but if you’re thinking the FTC or any regulating body can make stupid people smart, think again.

 

[Wayde Robson]

Dubious reviews will continue to dupe people because you can fool some of the people all of the time. Something like 1 in 7 people responded in the affirmative when asked if chocolate milk comes from brown cows. A recent survey of college students revealed that 1 in 4 thought Judge Judy was a member of the Supreme Court. Hopefully they were just having fun but if you’re thinking the FTC or any regulating body can make stupid people smart, think again.

As long as there's a sucker born every minute, there will be online scams. We should never rely on a state body to protect us.

 

[Trell]

As long as there's a sucker born every minute, there will be online scams. We should never rely on a state body to protect us.

I rely on a state body (government, in general) to make this less of a problem and actually give some protection or remedies. It's for sure not perfect in any way or shape.

One such "state body" is FDA and you can imagine what will happen if it was abolished.

 

[Bobby Bass]

It would be helpful if the new rules stop the practices noted. I recently had an issue where I posted a review with a company that says it posts all reviews and my review wasn’t posted. I have contacted the company with no answer and don’t expect one. Consumers have to be wary of any online recommendations unfortunately. (Except mine of course)

 

[Verdinut]

That's why I don't have apps with online stores even if I am not eligible to receive as many purchase points without them. Also, some outfits share their customer info to their business partners exposing us to possibility of scams and phishing. By using an ad blocker, I avoid a lot of problems.

I used to post reviews on Amazon purchases. But after awhile, Amazon started to send me customers' questions about items I had purchased, where such questions should have been sent to the manufacturer or distributor. I stopped replying to their inquiries. I figured that if they wanted me to give answers, they should pay me.