The FTC plans to slap companies with hefty fines for using fake reviews

The Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) has proposed a formal ban on fake reviews and testimonials. Companies would also be prohibited from using phony followers and views to inflate their social media metrics if the rule takes effect as it stands. This isn't the first time the agency has trained its sights on fake reviews. In its first such case in 2019 , it fined a third-party Amazon seller for paying for fake reviews (Amazon itself has sued phony review providers ). Earlier this year, the FTC le...