Recommendation

Congress should enact legislation to protect consumers against frivolous lawsuits intended to silence critical reviews of products or services.

Details

Congress should enact legislation to protect consumers against frivolous suits known as “strategic lawsuits against public participation” (SLAPPs). Companies file SLAPP lawsuits against consumers who post negative reviews about their goods or services in an effort to intimidate them into removing the review. Many Americans are unable to afford legal representation over the course of a lengthy court case, so these lawsuits are an effective tool to force consumers into removing their honest thoughts about a company.

Keep reading:

▪ Morgan Stevens and Daniel Castro, “How Policymakers Can Thwart the Rise of Fake Reviews” (ITIF Center for Data Innovation, September 2022), https://itif.org/publications/2022/09/12/how-policymakers-can-thwart-rise-of-fake-reviews/.