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[cormack12]

Source: https://apnews.com/article/ftc-rule-fake-reviews-ban-b7e57e33c1818fa58dd742a921643239

The Federal Trade Commission issued the rule in August banning the sale or purchase of online reviews. The rule, which went into effect Monday, allows the agency to seek civil penalties against those who knowingly violate it.

“Fake reviews not only waste people’s time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said about the rule in August. She added that the rule will “protect Americans from getting cheated, put businesses that unlawfully game the system on notice, and promote markets that are fair, honest, and competitive.”

Specifically, the rule bans reviews and testimonials attributed to people who don’t exist or are generated by artificial intelligence, people who don’t have experience with the business or product/services, or misrepresent their experience.

It also bans businesses from creating or selling reviews or testimonials. Businesses that knowingly buy fake reviews, procure them from company insiders or disseminate fake reviews will be penalized. It also prohibits businesses from using “unfounded or groundless legal threats, physical threats, intimidation, or certain false public accusations.”

 

[Impotaku]

people who don’t have experience with the business or product/services, or misrepresent their experience.

Well thats all gaming journos fucked then.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

I hope the same applies to bots. Wukong has been review bombed on MC user score by hundreds of bots.

 

[Kvally]

I hope the same applies to bots. Wukong has been review bombed on MC user score by hundreds of bots.

How many years would you give the bots? 30?

 

[Billbofet]

Damn, Ubisoft just can't catch a break lately

 

[EDMIX]

Good news, this should also work for those seeking to slander titles to purchase negative reviews to hurt other businesses.

Right now companies can sue if someone makes up something about a company, but are didn't really have a law on the books about buying it. So good move

I hope the same applies to bots. Wukong has been review bombed on MC user score by hundreds of bots.

lol same, but I don't even know how one could enforce a lot of this.

Like how would one actually prove who is doing it? I think one can find the connection from some fake review, but the whole thing with bots seems like that would be hard to even track

 

[StueyDuck]

is this the end of IGN and Kotaku

 

[adamsapple]

Good luck enforcing this.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Ubisoft's bot strategy in shambles

 

[Topher]

We are trusting the FTC to sort out what are "fake" reviews and what are real?

 

[cormack12]

We are trusting the FTC to sort out what are "fake" reviews and what are real?

Great post. 2 of 5 stars.

 

[MayauMiao]

Source: https://apnews.com/article/ftc-rule-fake-reviews-ban-b7e57e33c1818fa58dd742a921643239

The Federal Trade Commission issued the rule in August banning the sale or purchase of online reviews. The rule, which went into effect Monday, allows the agency to seek civil penalties against those who knowingly violate it.

“Fake reviews not only waste people’s time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said about the rule in August. She added that the rule will “protect Americans from getting cheated, put businesses that unlawfully game the system on notice, and promote markets that are fair, honest, and competitive.”
Specifically, the rule bans reviews and testimonials attributed to people who don’t exist or are generated by artificial intelligence, people who don’t have experience with the business or product/services, or misrepresent their experience.


It also bans businesses from creating or selling reviews or testimonials. Businesses that knowingly buy fake reviews, procure them from company insiders or disseminate fake reviews will be penalized. It also prohibits businesses from using “unfounded or groundless legal threats, physical threats, intimidation, or certain false public accusations.”

So can they go after Wired for this fake review?

 

[Topher]

Great post. 2 of 5 stars.

 

[EDMIX]

So can they go after Wired for this fake review?

lol well, wouldn't this be about the sale or purchase of a fake review?

How do we know someone paid for this to occur? lol

Someone can just feel this way and write the review though lol

 

[King Dazzar]

 

[Laptop1991]

It's a good thing if they can actually do it, buying stuff on Amazon and going through the reviews can be a nightmare, then there is all the 10 scores on IMDB from bots or paid shills lol, you don't know what to trust now, i have no idea how they will stop them all though, millions of them trying to get your money.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Good news, this should also work for those seeking to slander titles to purchase negative reviews to hurt other businesses.

Right now companies can sue if someone makes up something about a company, but are didn't really have a law on the books about buying it. So good move


lol same, but I don't even know how one could enforce a lot of this.

Like how would one actually prove who is doing it? I think one can find the connection from some fake review, but the whole thing with bots seems like that would be hard to even track

.
In the case of bots, holding the company where reviews are posted as a subsidiary responsible. Sites like Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, or even Twitter. They should delete fake reviews or else be fined. Assuming that this is very difficult to correct, at least there must be laws that fight it.

 

[splattered]

Run GHG they're coming for your Starfield review bombings!

 

[Impotaku]

It's a good thing if they can actually do it, buying stuff on Amazon and going through the reviews can be a nightmare, then there is all the 10 scores on IMDB from bots or paid shills lol, you don't know what to trust now, i have no idea how they will stop them all though, millions of them trying to get your money.

At least with amazon you can see who actually bought the item with that verified purchase tag or if they got it free for a vine member review it's not perfect but it does make it better to see if that shit review was from someone who actually paid & used the item and wasn't just a shill reviewer.

 

[Laptop1991]

At least with amazon you can see who actually bought the item with that verified purchase tag or if they got it free for a vine member review it's not perfect but it does make it better to see if that shit review was from someone who actually paid & used the item and wasn't just a shill reviewer.

Yeah, but sometimes its a completely different item they are reviewing and not the actual item on the page and Amazon own IMDB as well lol

 

[Topher]

It's a good thing if they can actually do it, buying stuff on Amazon and going through the reviews can be a nightmare, then there is all the 10 scores on IMDB from bots or paid shills lol, you don't know what to trust now, i have no idea how they will stop them all though, millions of them trying to get your money.

That should be up to Amazon to correct, imo.

 

[EDMIX]

It's a good thing if they can actually do it, buying stuff on Amazon and going through the reviews can be a nightmare, then there is all the 10 scores on IMDB from bots or paid shills lol, you don't know what to trust now, i have no idea how they will stop them all though, millions of them trying to get your money.

Good luck enforcing this.

Well...I'm happy i'm not the only one questioning how they will actually enforce this... I'm not against it by any means, merely I don't even know how useful it will actually be when put into effect.

 

[Laptop1991]

That should be up to Amazon to correct, imo.

Agreed but they want your money first and foremost and Amazon is no where near as good as it use to be, i just got a refund after buying something 4 weeks ago that was in stock at the time, then all i got was, we will email you when we have a delivery date and it never changed, but it still says it's in stock on Amazon uk!.

 

[Impotaku]

Yeah, but sometimes its a completely different item they are reviewing and not the actual item on the page and Amazon own IMDB as well lol

Yeah i have seen that too, where it bundles reviews from variants it is a minefield if you are not careful i imagine a lot of people get tricked.

 

[winjer]

My guess is that the FTC will only act against a fake review, if there are complaints about one.

 

[hemo memo]

How would they know if it's fake?

 

[Rush2112]

How would they know if it's fake?

They don’t. They won’t do shit.

 

[Roman Empire]

Ubisoft better take care of inviting the reviews to Disney beforehand huh.

 

[Saber]

people who don’t have experience with the business or product/services, or misrepresent their experience.

I hope this put the careers of some political bullcrap game journos at risk.
Just show them giving 10 to Deathloop and they are done.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

My guess is that the FTC will only act against a fake review, if there are complaints about one.

Potentially far reaching implications for Xbox.

The FTC might only take action when there are complaints, but companies look at this in forming their policies related to marketing.

• Insider Reviews and Consumer Testimonials: The final rule prohibits certain reviews and testimonials written by company insiders that fail to clearly and conspicuously disclose the giver’s material connection to the business. It prohibits such reviews and testimonials given by officers or managers. It also prohibits a business from disseminating such a testimonial that the business should have known was by an officer, manager, employee, or agent. Finally, it imposes requirements when officers or managers solicit consumer reviews from their own immediate relatives or from employees or agents – or when they tell employees or agents to solicit reviews from relatives and such solicitations result in reviews by immediate relatives of the employees or agents.

 

[Fake]

Is too much water be removed?

 

[The Cockatrice]

Would've been nice if it was proactive, so we can fine every "critic" for the Concord reviews all the way to PCGamers 94 score of Dragon Age 2. That way they can all go bankrupt and gaf can stop sucking up to them.

 

[Banjo64]

Good luck enforcing this.

Sounds like a threat.

You and your holmies are toast fam:

 

[intbal]

This will absolutely be abused by the corporations.

All negative reviews left for the latest Marvel trash will be deleted and charges will be filed against the "Review Bombers".

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

We are trusting the FTC to sort out what are "fake" reviews and what are real?

I think it’ll be less about the FTC trying to analyze review content to figure out which reviews are fake.

It’ll be more about making it difficult/impossible for some viral marketing companies to sell fake reviews, and for other companies to purchase those kinds of services.


Also wouldn’t be surprised if lots of companies have informal policies like “product reviews are a great way to help people learn about our product *wink wink*” and now they will need to have a formal policy like “here are the FTC regulations, failure to abide by these could expose us to fines or other legal repercussions”

 

[Vyse]

Damn, Ubisoft just can't catch a break lately

Dude. You beat me to it. Well done my friend. Well done.

 

[Paltheos]

Sounds good. I don't know how effective it will be, but at least curbing all the fake crap is a good start.

Misc. note: This reminds me of when a company I worked for tried pulling this shit. They used a carrot instead of a stick, entering employees who left favorable reviews into a company raffle. I was in awe of how brazen it was, but apparently it didn't bother anyone else. Not even any gossip in the surrounding cubes, which was unusual given the climate.

 

[Frexerik88]

Great so companies can now bring a lawsuit against anyone giving their game a bad review for "misrepresenting the experience"???

 

[Nonehxc]

'Gaymer yurnaliztz' and Ass of Can Whooping have been utterly neutered & FTCked.

 

[ahtlas7]

How do you enforce this rule?

 

[Freelance Yakuza]

First they came for the Xbox Ambassadors, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not an Xbox Ambassador...

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

No more yellow chairs? weak

 

[The Pleasure]

Good luck enforcing this.

Does this mean that Phil is no longer the Spender he used to be?

 

[Kvally]

So the PS/Xbox fanboys taking a battering ram to Open Critic and Metacritic will be doing hard time?

 

[yogaflame]

They have to watch out for those reviews from Sweet baby inc pawns.

 

[Det]

 

[MiguelItUp]

Would be great, but yeah, good luck.

 

[LegendOfKage]

Great, now do more anti-trust.

 

[ReBurn]

It's nice to know that all online reviews are now and forevermore honest and factual. Thanks Lina Khan!

 

[Magic Carpet]

Next we need the FTC to rule banning fake online reporting of online reviews.
Clogging up the ReportFraud.ftc.gov website