FTC v. Sitejabber

On November 6, 2024, the FTC charged Sitejabber, an AI-powered consumer review platform, with deceptive practices for inflating ratings and review counts. According to the complaint, Sitejabber collected reviews at the point of purchase—before customers could use the products or services—and falsely presented them as genuine feedback, misleading consumers and unfairly boosting the reputation of its clients. The platform also provided tools allowing businesses to display these pre-fulfillment reviews on their websites as authentic customer experiences. The FTC’s proposed order seeks to ban misrepresentation of reviews, prohibit tools enabling misleading practices, and mandate transparency in review collection and display to restore consumer trust and fair competition.