The FTC is cracking down on viewbotting, follower buying, and fake reviews from influencers and streamers as part of a new ruling from the agency.
When it comes to viewbotting and fake reviews, it’s always tricky to gauge just how rampant it is in the influencer world as platforms such asYouTube,Twitch, andTikTokaren’t very open about it, and neither are influencers and companies.
However, theFederal Trade Commission has announceda ruling that seeks to combat fake AI-generated reviews which will allow the agency to file penalties against individuals who break it.
They outline how businesses that create or buy fake consumer reviews, such as fake celebrity testimonials, will be prohibited. The ruling will also ban any AI-generated reviews.
Additionally, buying positive and negative reviews, insider reviews, review suppression, and any company-controlled review websites will all be prohibited by the FTC.
This means companies will not be allowed tomanipulate reviewsin any way, be it by managers or employees giving reviews of a product or paying an influencer for a positive impression.
As part of the new ruling, the FTC also will be banning any influencer from buying fake “indicators”. What this means is that buying followers and viewbotting will be prohibited. This also includes selling them.
According to the FTC, the buying and selling of indicators of social media influence may mislead consumers due to the misrepresentation of a reviewer’s authority.
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The FTC’s chair Lina Khan said of the new ruling, “By strengthening the FTC’s toolkit to fight deceptive advertising, the final 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.”
Jeremy Gan was a Games Writer on Dexerto’s Australia team. He is a journalism graduate and expertly covers CS:GO, Valorant, Overwatch, League of Legends, and Dota 2, as well as trending stories in Twitch and Kick streaming.
