The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Wednesday a final rule that bans online fake reviews and testimonials and allows the agency to seek civil penalties from known violators.

Businesses that buy, sell or promote phony online reviews now run the risk of incurring hefty financial penalties, the Federal Trade Commission said in announcing a ban on such practices.

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday voted unanimously to ban marketers from using fake reviews ... to quickly generate user reviews for products sold on online platforms.

WASHINGTON — A federal rule banning fake online reviews is now in effect. The Federal Trade Commission issued the ... Specifically, the rule bans reviews and testimonials attributed to people ...

The FTC is prohibiting the creation or purchase of fake reviews and will also seek to prevent the suppression of negative reviews online. It can be hard to trust anything you read online ...

Typically, rules are published within days of their adoption, meaning that consumers can expect to see the FTC's fake-review ban go into effect ... for products sold online. The result: Consumers ...

Companies are now prohibited from paying for or selling online product reviews and generating other types of fake testimonials under a Federal Trade Commission rule that went into force Monday.