The U.S. Federal Trade Commission today announced a final rule that will combat fake reviews and testimonials by prohibiting their sale or purchase and allow the agency to seek civil penalties against knowing violators.

"Fake reviews not only waste people’s time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “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.”

  • I’m surprised that Lina Khan hasn’t been Boeing’d by some large corporation yet. She’s been the best FTC chair in decades (low bar, but she cleared it well), and I think this is a good starting point for getting anti-AI content discussions into the public space in a strategic way.