A federal rule banning fake online reviews is now in effect.

The Federal Trade Commission issued the rulein August banning the sale or purchase of online reviews. The rule, which went into effect Monday, allows the agency to seek civil penalties against those who knowingly violate it.

“Fake reviews not only waste people’s time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said about the rule in August. She added that the 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.”

  • Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    Awesome, now make them criminally liable.

    Corporations are people, no? Throw them in prison.

    • mindaika@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 months ago

      IMO, corporate punishments should work like that: steal a little from someone? Lose 90 days of profit. Steal a lot? Lose a couple years of profits. Kill someone? Lose 20 years of profits

      • Entertainmeonly@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        Jailing CEOs works better only because money is easy to manipulate. Loosing 20 years of profit just means bankruptcy. Make a new name new company buys all assets of bankrupt at fault company and nothing but the name changes. I’m with the idea that if companies have personhood than the person in charge is responsible for harm that personhood does.

          • moakley@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            The CEO would just be a fall guy, and the decision-making would go to someone else.

          • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            I mean given the depths they’ll go through to dodge taxes I think they absolutely would change behavior.

        • Traister101@lemmy.today
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          2 months ago

          No. That’s not what that means. Profit by definition is the excess revenue that isn’t required to run the business.

            • Traister101@lemmy.today
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              2 months ago

              So again. Profit is the excess revenue (this time in bold and italicized) that isn’t needed to run the business. Believe it or not stock buy backs aren’t required to run a business. Weird huh?

              • zbyte64@awful.systems
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                2 months ago

                Compensating your employees is an expense needed to run the business. Those buybacks is just the cost of doing business.

      • Sabata@ani.social
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        2 months ago

        Jail or volcano sacrifice. I’m sick of rich fucks being above the law and fines are just an expected, calculated, and bet against expense to a big business.

      • Wogi@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        They tried that when McDonald’s served coffee that gave an old woman 3rd degree burns on her genitals.

        A single days profits from coffee.

        McDonald’s fought that in court, and spent many thousands of dollars on a PR campaign to vilify the woman they burned.

      • Naryn@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        It’s executed plenty.

        12 were executed in 2022

        Zoom in: Texas had 23 clinics in operation before the decision — 12 shut down and 11 are open but only offer services other than abortion.