Overview:
FTC has implemented rules that will prohibit or at least limit the most common ways companies and individuals buy influence on social media to push false reviews, including the ability to actually bring charges against anyone who sells or buys such services. This covers fake or false reviews and testimonials (which based on the wording could cover sockpuppets? but also very explicitly calls out AI), buying positive or negative reviews, insider reviews, suppressing reviews, and buying/selling fake social media indicators.
If these are properly enforced, this could be huge in so many ways. I have concerns about how it will play out but...assuming it's handled properly, this is at least one step in the right direction.
