The Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA) protects consumers’ ability to share their honest opinions about a business’s products, services, or conduct, in any forum, including social media. For example, businesses must comply with the CRFA when attempting to limit or respond to consumer reviews. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces the CRFA, and believes contracts that prohibit honest reviews or threaten legal action over them harm consumers who rely on reviews when making their purchase decisions—and harm businesses that work hard to earn positive reviews.

In Washington state, as in the rest of the United States, the Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA) applies to protect the rights of consumers to post honest reviews about businesses' products, services, or conduct. The CRFA makes it illegal for companies to use contracts that bar or penalize customers for posting negative reviews or sharing their honest opinion about the business in any public forum, including social media. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is responsible for enforcing the CRFA. This means that businesses operating in Washington must ensure that their contracts and practices do not include provisions that violate the CRFA, such as clauses that attempt to suppress, penalize, or transfer intellectual property rights of the content of the reviews to the business. Violations of the CRFA can lead to legal action by the FTC, and businesses are encouraged to review their practices and contracts to comply with the Act.