Review Bombing Might Have Met Its End After New FTC Ruling

[Kane99]

Source - https://www.dualshockers.com/review-bombing-ban-ftc/

The FTC has recently released new rules on the proper way to review games going forward. It's being done as a way to stop reviewing bombing by providing legit reviews only, as in reviews by people who have played the actual media. They are enacting six (6) rules that reviewers will have to follow when leaving a review. I'll try to explain the rules, but the link above probably does a much better job. Anyway, here goes: 

1. It's prohibited to provide Fake or false consumer reviews, consumer testimonials, and celebrity testimonials.
2. It's prohibited to buy positive or negative reviews - as in studios can't pay the publication/content creators for a good review.
3. It's prohibited to do insider reviews and consumer testimonials - People who may have family working in a company, or people working in the company having them doing a review. 
4. Company-controlled review websites - Usually companies that own their own games, reviewing their own is what I'm getting from this.
5. review suppression" via intimidation is now prohibited. 
6. misuse of fake social media indicators - Essentially buying and selling followers on social media for engagement 

That's the best I can explain the rules. 

[Shagger]

Dualshockers' have made rejecting thier cookie policy on thier website ridiculously hard.  Instead of reading thier article, I found the information detailing the rules on the FTC website. Link below.

 

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-rule-banning-fake-reviews-testimonials

 

Having read the new guidelines, I can't help but feel I'm missing something.  I don't actually see anything in these new rules that would forbid review bombing, or at least not review bombing for legitimate reasons.  If alot of people are unhappy with changes to a game, the company policies or whatever people will still be able to write or alter legitimate user reviews to make thier feelings clear.  It seams to mostly target review bots, paid reviewers and insider reviews.  As far as I can see, it's game companies that need to be concerned.  More specifically, game companies that twist people's arms on storefronts and on social media for positive reviews, companies that buy reviews and have employees review the own games as well as other forms of manipulation.  The only concern I've got is the possibility of companies claiming that review bombing as a form of review manipulation.  However would have a hard time proving that when there are hundreds of legit accounts with no connection to each other saying the things because it's true.  So I'm not that concerned, but if I have missed something here please let me know.

[killamch89]

I wonder how effectively the FTC will enforce these rules. It sounds great in theory, but we’ve seen similar initiatives fail due to lack of oversight.