Here’s one way to enforce it: the FTC could set up fronts that sell fake reviews. If anyone tries to buy fake reviews, the FTC busts them.
After doing this enough, companies will be suspicious of anyone selling fake reviews. Maybe suspicious enough to not risk buying them. Kind of like how it’s common knowledge that every supposed killer-for-hire is actually an FBI agent waiting to arrest you.
Eventually, nobody want to buy fake reviews. And when nobody wants to pay for them, they will disappear.
Amazon doesn’t even bother and just does shady content filtering to make their products always appear first and show real reviews that they think will make you buy the product.
There’s a partial chance they can shadow ban reviews or screw with the total rating too, but I think they entice enough people to produce a passable rating, even if the product is subpar.
Still anything is a start, FTC been making rounds lately.
I don’t think Amazon is the one buying fake reviews, considering it has tried to sue the people who write them. But if they were, then the FTC could go after them too.
Perhaps the value is in having something explicitly written in a book, so that we can actually throw it at them.
They won’t catch all cases, but maybe the fear of slipping and becoming the unlucky company that gets caught and punished will have a positive effect on the industry.
I don’t have a backgrounder in law, this is simply optimistic speculation in response to pessimistic speculation.
There’s no way they will be able to enforce this.
Here’s one way to enforce it: the FTC could set up fronts that sell fake reviews. If anyone tries to buy fake reviews, the FTC busts them.
After doing this enough, companies will be suspicious of anyone selling fake reviews. Maybe suspicious enough to not risk buying them. Kind of like how it’s common knowledge that every supposed killer-for-hire is actually an FBI agent waiting to arrest you.
Eventually, nobody want to buy fake reviews. And when nobody wants to pay for them, they will disappear.
Well the ones that call themselves that are probably fbi agents.
The real ones likely don’t take walkins.
They have to find clients somehow. Whatever they are doing, the FTC can do.
That only works for 3rd party vendors.
Amazon doesn’t even bother and just does shady content filtering to make their products always appear first and show real reviews that they think will make you buy the product.
There’s a partial chance they can shadow ban reviews or screw with the total rating too, but I think they entice enough people to produce a passable rating, even if the product is subpar.
Still anything is a start, FTC been making rounds lately.
I don’t think Amazon is the one buying fake reviews, considering it has tried to sue the people who write them. But if they were, then the FTC could go after them too.
That…… could work.
To post a review, submit your SSN / verify with a third party.
Cue a whole new identity sales & theft industry!
(I’ve wanted to see some verified reviewer concept for a long time now but it seems dangerous and only half useful.)
Amazon marks your review with a special flag if you purchased the product. Still plenty of fake reviews.
Perhaps the value is in having something explicitly written in a book, so that we can actually throw it at them.
They won’t catch all cases, but maybe the fear of slipping and becoming the unlucky company that gets caught and punished will have a positive effect on the industry.
I don’t have a backgrounder in law, this is simply optimistic speculation in response to pessimistic speculation.