FTC cracks down on online reviews

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down to make sure the online reviews you read before buying a product are true.

The federal agency issued new guidance for businesses and marketers to do a number of things on behalf of consumers including:

• Treating positive and negative reviews equally
• Having processes in place to spot fake and deceptive reviews
• Making sure businesses know they can’t solicit reviews from people who haven’t actually used the products

The new guidance was announced Tuesday as the FTC revealed that online retailer Fashion Nova will pay more than $4 million as part of a settlement for blocking negative reviews of its products.