The FTC rule on fake reviews and testimonials

The FTC rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, in force since 2024, prohibits fake and incentivised reviews, undisclosed insider reviews, and suppressing or misrepresenting the reviews a business displays. It carries civil penalties per violation.

What it does not do is ban asking your satisfied customers to leave a review.

Writing or buying reviews that did not come from a real customer. Paying for positive reviews, including with discounts or products. Reviews written by employees, relatives or anyone connected to the business without disclosing the connection. Using legal threats or intimidation to suppress a negative review. And presenting a filtered set of reviews as though it were all of them.

Asking customers for reviews. Displaying a selection of reviews on your own website. Replying to reviews, including critically. Filtering what your own site shows, provided the rating you display is the real one and you are not implying the filtered set is complete.

Assuming the rule bans review gating in general. It targets suppression and misrepresentation, not selective soliciting. The stricter constraint on selective soliciting is platform policy — Google discourages it, Yelp prohibits soliciting entirely — and platform enforcement is faster and more likely to affect you than a federal action.

The second misreading is thinking this only applies to large companies. Penalties are per violation and the rule makes no exemption for size.

The UK regime under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act is broader in places, and EU rules require traders to say how they verify reviews. If you sell across borders, the strictest applicable rule is the one to design around.

This page is a summary, not legal advice, and the area is moving. Have a lawyer read anything you rely on.