How should we protect brand accuracy and avoid unsafe tactics?

Treat accuracy and source integrity as acceptance criteria. An October preprint reported that eight of ten tested AI-search platforms cited a fabricated concept within seven days of controlled publication experiments. This preliminary result is a reason to scrutinise source provenance—not a playbook for planting misleading material. (arxiv.org)

The US FTC’s reviews rule has been effective since 21 October 2024. Its guidance addresses fake or false reviews and prohibits incentives conditioned on positive or negative consumer-review sentiment. Disclosure does not make payment for five-star reviews permissible. Obtain legal review for specific campaigns. (ftc.gov)

Proposed safeguard: Require exact claim evidence, dated approved product facts, a correction owner and a record of every external placement. Reject fabricated customer experiences and undisclosed promotional identities.