Fake reviews have been a problem for as long as I have been publishing. Not to say I have suffered from them (I have more often struggled to get any reviews!). However, writers' forums have been abuzz with the subject of problematic reviews for as long as I can remember. These could include malicious negative reviews, naively collaborating as a group to “support” each other with reviews, bemoaning authors who seem to have an unusually large number of short but overwhelmingly positive reviews from reviewers who’ve posted nothing else, or too often, having genuine reviews removed as part of a clumsy attempt at a purge.
ALLi News Editor, Dan Holloway
It is, of course, not just writers who suffer, and it’s not just on Amazon. It’s everywhere. Both businesses and consumers alike lose out.
Now, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States is finalizing rules aimed at stamping out fake reviews. You can read the full 163-page document here.
Fortunately, TechCrunch has a handy summary of the rules here. The key ones that impact us are:
- No fake reviews, including those created by AI
- No paid-for reviews (as either a seller or buyer of such)
- No buying followers who then write reviews
- If you have a connection with the product, you must declare it.
These rules are fairly familiar from sites’ terms and conditions, but now, rather than merely having an account suspended, guilty parties will face a fine of up to $50,000.
Interestingly, some of the most bizarre, bland, and possibly unhelpful AI-generated reviews come from the selling platforms themselves. Writers regularly share what Amazon says “readers are saying,” aghast at the sheer inanity of what they have found. Somehow, I am guessing these will not be caught up in the great review removal.
