One Rule Explained: "Suppression of Accuracy" in AI Systems
FTC Proposed Policy Statement
The FTC, the US agency that protects consumers from being misled, put out a proposal this month with a mouthful of a name: the “suppression of accuracy” statement. Here’s what it actually says, minus the legalese.
When you ask a chatbot a question, you expect an honest answer. The companies behind these tools promise as much. Some state laws, though, push companies to adjust what their AI says. Colorado has one, for example, meant to prevent AI from treating people unfairly. The FTC’s view: if a company changes its AI’s answers to stay on the right side of a law like that, it’s breaking its honesty promise to you. And breaking that promise is the kind of thing the FTC can punish.
The surprising part comes next. The FTC also claims those state laws simply don’t apply anymore, because federal rules override them. Normally, only Congress gets to cancel out state laws, so expect court fights over this.
Nothing is final yet. Anyone can send the FTC their opinion until July 31.