Fake reviews have become a significant problem, and the new rules proposed by the FTC may not be sufficient to tackle this issue. While it has been against Amazon’s terms of service for years to post false reviews, the company’s efforts to combat this practice by removing sellers and closing accounts have not fully resolved the problem. In fact, Amazon has taken legal action against companies selling fake reviews in an attempt to address the issue.

However, the new rules may fall short due to several reasons. Many companies that engage in buying fake reviews are based abroad and easily evade capture by reappearing under different names. These fake review companies operate on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, providing limited information and being difficult to trace and prosecute.

Moreover, the wording used by these companies makes it challenging to prosecute them. They typically ask “reviewers” to legitimately purchase a product with a promise of full reimbursement and request “honest feedback.” If the feedback is positive, the “reviewers” are politely asked to post it on Amazon or similar websites.

However, while the regulations may have limitations, they represent a step in the right direction. Fake reviews undermine Amazon’s business model and can result in customers being deceived. Furthermore, they harm legitimate small businesses that adhere to the rules and offer quality products.