If there’s one reputation shortcut that can land your business in serious trouble, it’s review gating—the practice of steering happy customers to leave reviews while quietly diverting unhappy ones somewhere private.
It might sound harmless, and some providers make it sound “standard,” but regulators disagree.
Review gating is illegal, and the penalties can be severe:
- FTC fines
- Google review removal
- Profile suspensions
- Even long-term brand damage
And here’s the worst part: Some of the biggest reputation management companies (the ones you’d expect to know better) are often the ones doing this behind the scenes.
Let’s break down what review gating is, why it’s dangerous, and how to protect your business.
What Is Review Gating?
Review gating occurs when a business:
- Guides happy customers to public review platforms
- Routes unhappy customers to a private feedback form
In short: Positive feedback gets published, and negative feedback gets buried.
This is exactly why the practice is prohibited by regulators and major platforms.
FTC Position: Review Gating Is Illegal — With Real Fines to Match
The Federal Trade Commission has made it unmistakably clear:
Filtering or suppressing negative reviews is deceptive and violates the FTC Act.
Fines for violating endorsement and review guidelines can reach tens of thousands of dollars per violation, and the enforcement actions have been increasing sharply.
Official FTC Endorsement Guides: https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/endorsement-guides
The FTC does not need to prove that you intended to deceive.
If your system naturally suppresses negative reviews, you are responsible.
Google’s Stance: Break the Rule, Lose Your Reviews
Google clearly bans review gating and monitoring sentiment before allowing reviews.
Official Google Review Policy: https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114
Violating Google’s guidelines can result in:
- Removal of all reviews
- Suspension of the entire Google Business Profile
- Blocks on future review submissions
- Permanent account restrictions
Years of reputation-building can be erased instantly.
The Scary Truth: Many Big Reputation Platforms Are Guilty
This shocks most business owners: Some of the most recognizable reputation management companies—large, well-funded, and trusted—are actively implementing review gating, even though they absolutely know it’s illegal.
They do it because:
- It temporarily raises star ratings
- It makes dashboards look cleaner
- They assume small businesses won’t notice
But when regulators or Google take action, you pay the price. Not them.
This is why you should ask your current provider today if they are gating reviews in any form. Or better yet, let an ethical provider like Reviews UP give you a free second opinion.
The Data Is Clear: Review Gating Doesn’t Even Work
Multiple studies show:
- Review gating reduces overall review volume
- It does not meaningfully improve average star ratings
- Open, honest, transparent review flows perform better
So ask yourself:
Why risk massive fines for a tactic that doesn’t even help?
Don’t Cherry-Pick Reviews on Your Website Either
Even if your collection process is compliant, you can still violate the law when displaying reviews.
If your website only shows positive reviews and hides the rest, you can violate the Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA) and other FTC rules on truthful representation.
Consumer Review Fairness Act: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-review-fairness-act-what-businesses-need-know
The rule is simple:
If you display reviews, show them honestly and without deceptive omission.
Cherry-picking = deceptive
Deceptive = illegal
Illegal = fines
Reviews UP: The Ethical, Compliant, No-Gating Platform
Reviews UP was built to keep businesses protected:
- 100% compliant with FTC, CRFA, and Google
- Never uses review gating or sentiment filtering
- Does not collect financial or sensitive personal data
- Provides transparent, direct review request flows
- Helps increase volume through ethical best practices
This is why businesses across healthcare, finance, automotive, retail, home services, and hospitality trust Reviews UP.
Used Gating Before? Fix It Before It Becomes a Crisis
The FTC is actively monitoring deceptive review practices.
Google is constantly updating detection systems.
Competitors can and will report violations.
Cleaning up after a fine or a wiped-out Google profile is much harder than preventing one.
Get a Free Reputation & Compliance Audit
Let Reviews UP give you a free audit of your:
- Review collection process
- Review display practices
- Current provider’s compliance
- Website review widgets
- Google review health
Don’t wait for the fines.
Don’t wait for Google to erase years of reviews.
Protect your business now.
