Fake reviews law in 2026: the FTC rule and the UK ban, for Shopify stores

The FTC announced its final rule on 14 August 2024. It took effect on 21 October 2024, as 16 CFR Part 465. It lets the FTC seek civil penalties from businesses that knowingly break it.

The rule bans fake reviews and testimonials. That covers reviews by people who do not exist, or who never used the product. AI-written reviews count. It bans buying reviews when the reward depends on a positive or negative verdict. Undisclosed reviews by staff or their relatives are covered. So are review sites a company controls but presents as independent.

Two more parts matter to Shopify stores. Review suppression is banned, such as threats to stop a bad review. Fake social media indicators are banned too. That means buying followers or views to look more popular.

The UK: the DMCC Act ban

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 lists fake reviews as banned. The ban took effect on 6 April 2025. From that date the CMA can enforce consumer law directly. It can fine a business up to 10% of global turnover.

The ban covers writing or commissioning fake reviews. It covers hiding that a review was incentivised. It also covers showing reviews in a misleading way, such as hiding the negative ones. The CMA's guidance, CMA208, explains each point with examples. It confirms that simply asking customers for reviews is fine.

What this means for a Shopify store

Most risk sits in app settings. A review app that only asks happy customers is gating. An incentive that needs four stars is a bought review. A popup counting viewers who do not exist is a false claim. Each of these can be set up in a few clicks. Each is easy to fix.

Imported reviews need care too. Reviews pulled from a marketplace came from buyers there. Show where they came from. Reviews from a supplier's listing were written about the supplier's sale. Ask a lawyer before you show those as your own.

A checklist for your review app

1. 1Requests: send review requests to every buyer, with no star filter.
2. 2Rewards: if you reward reviews, reward every review and say so on it.
3. 3Moderation: remove only spam, abuse or off-topic posts. Keep low ratings.
4. 4Staff: label any review by staff, family or partners.
5. 5Imports: show the source of every imported review.
6. 6Popups: show only real orders and real visitor counts.
7. 7Followers: never buy followers, likes or views.
8. 8Records: keep request logs, to show how you collected reviews.

Where Idukki fits (ours)

We make Idukki. It shows real customer posts and imported reviews with their source on each one. Rights are recorded per post. It does not write reviews or invent counts. For review apps compared, read the best Shopify review apps. For rewards done right, read the best Shopify social proof apps.