The US Competition Authority (FTC) has gone to war against bogus consumer reviews and other favorable but misleading comments that abound on business sites and on the internet.
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The FTC has issued a warning to 700 businesses in the United States to stop using comments and reviews that mislead consumers, or face fines. “The rise of social media has blurred the line between what is authentic content and what is advertising, leading to an explosion of deceptive positive reviews.”, the federal agency said in a press release. “These bogus reviews and deceptive endorsements mislead consumers and put honest businesses at a disadvantage.”says Samuel Levine, director of the consumer protection office at the FTC. “Advertisers will pay the price if they engage in these deceptive practices”, he added.
Large companies and advertisers
Fines can go up to $ 43,792 per violation, the FTC said. Among the recipients of the warning are large companies, distribution chains but also advertisers. Having received this admonition does not mean that the company has used this type of misleading reviews and comments, specifies the regulatory agency.
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On the list of companies that have received this warning, in addition to Coca-Cola, the toy manufacturer Mattel, Kellogg or Airbnb cereals and the Expedia site, there are also French groups present in the United States such as LVMH, Sanofi, L ‘ Oréal or Havas.
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