Bogus online reviews are targeted by US regulators with new, proposed bans

A file photo of online customer reviews for a product are displayed on a computer in New York. The FTC proposed a new rule that would ban paying for reviews, suppressing honest reviews, selling fake social media engagement and more. — AP

WASHINGTON: US federal regulators are looking to crack down on fake reviews and other deceptive Internet practices.

The Federal Trade Commission proposed a new rule on June 30 that would ban paying for reviews, suppressing honest reviews, selling fake social media engagement and more. Businesses would also be prohibited from running company-controlled websites that claim to be independent, and other deceptive practices like “review hijacking,” which makes reviews for one product appear like they were written for significantly different ones.