The Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order against Sitejabber, a company offering an AI-enabled consumer review platform, which deceived consumers by misrepresenting that ratings and reviews it published came from customers who experienced the reviewed product or service, artificially inflating average ratings and review counts.
The FTC’s November 2024 complaint alleged that Sitejabber collected ratings and reviews from consumers for its online business clients at the time of purchase before they received or had the chance to experience the products or services they bought.Â
The company used these ratings and reviews to deceptively inflate the average ratings and review counts of its clients on the company’s review platform. The inflated ratings and review counts were also displayed in Google and other search results.
The FTC also alleged that Sitejabber provided its clients with pre-fulfilment product ratings and reviews, providing them with the means to misrepresent that the reviews and ratings were from customers who had received their purchases.
The final order settling the commission’s complaint prohibits Sitejabber from making or assisting anyone else in making misrepresentations about any ratings, average ratings, or reviews it collects, moderates, or displays. Following a public comment period, the commission voted 5-0 to approve the final consent order.
