2026
CMA v Emma Sleep
The adCountdown timers, 'High Demand' messages, fake time-limited sales
OutcomeCourt-endorsed undertakings 22 May 2026, was/now pricing sent to trial
LessonUrgency must be real, reference prices are litigated separately
Everyday consumer · Ad policy
E-commerce and retail ad policy on Meta and Google
E-commerce and retail ads are prohibited on Meta and rules apply on Google. Prohibited Commercial Practices: Lists 'deceptive pricing'. Enforcement covers 'Misleading or unreasonable pricing', 'Non-delivery', 'Product misrepresentation' and 'Deceptive subscription practices'. (prohibited / feedback-driven enforcement). The phrases most likely to cause trouble include "only today", "countdown timer that resets", "High demand! viewed 6,458 times".
MetaProhibited
GoogleRules apply
Last checked5 October 2026
Meta rules Prohibited
Prohibited / feedback driven enforcement
- Prohibited Commercial Practices: Lists 'deceptive pricing'. Enforcement covers 'Misleading or unreasonable pricing', 'Non-delivery', 'Product misrepresentation' and 'Deceptive subscription practices'. (prohibited / feedback-driven enforcement)
- Spam: No buying engagement, giveaways for likes, 'Cloaking' or 'Like/share-gating'. (prohibited)
- Ad quality: Landing-page 'Misleading experiences', incl. misrepresenting 'expected shipping times'. (penalised)
Sources: transparency.meta.com · transparency.meta.com · transparency.meta.com · facebook.com
Google rules Rules apply
Disapproval, warning before suspension
- Dishonest pricing practices (Ads): Disclose the total price incl. 'taxes, fees, and surcharges'. Bans 'Bait-and-switch'. Free trials must state the trial period and the auto-charge. (disapproval, warning before suspension)
- Merchant Center Misrepresentation: 'Not disclosing the total price', hiding where products ship from, conspicuous fast-delivery claims with hidden handling time. (egregious for business practices)
- Sale price annotations: Discount must be >5% and <90%. US: base price charged on 5 of the past 30 days or 15 of the past 200. UK and other listed countries: 30 of the past 200 days. (eligibility rules)
- sale_price attribute: Show both prices on the landing page, keep the sale price consistent through checkout, keep submitting the base price. (data requirement)
Sources: support.google.com · support.google.com · support.google.com · support.google.com
Flagged words and phrases for e-commerce and retail ads
17 phrases that often lead to rejection, limited delivery or regulator action. High means the phrase or claim is named in a policy or ruling. Medium means it's our reading of a rule.
| Phrase | Why it's risky | Rule or source | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| only today / ends tonight / last chance (when the deal recurs) | False limited-time claim (CAP 3.30), CMA Emma | gov.uk | High |
| countdown timer that resets | Emma gave an undertaking to stop | gov.uk | High |
| High demand! viewed 6,458 times | Fake demand messaging | gov.uk | High |
| only 2 left (false) | India 'False urgency' dark pattern | jsalaw.com | High |
| was / now, X% off (vs a price that is not the 30-day low) | EU: the prior price is the lowest in the prior 30 days | curia.europa.eu | High |
| RRP (not generally charged) | CAP 3.39 | asa.org.uk | High |
| free (with conditions) | CAP 3.23-3.24: 'free' only if there is no cost beyond the unavoidable | asa.org.uk | High |
| free trial (auto-renew undisclosed) | Google dishonest pricing, CAP 3.26 | support.google.com | High |
| lowest price guaranteed / cheapest | Comparative claims must be objective and verifiable (CAP 3.33-3.34) | asa.org.uk | Medium |
| 5-star / 10,000 happy customers (fake or filtered) | Fake reviews banned (UK DMCC, FTC rule, CAP 3.44) | gov.uk | High |
| verified reviews (unverified) | EU Omnibus: must take reasonable steps to verify | brownejacobson.com | High |
| + booking/admin/service fee at checkout | Drip pricing banned in the UK since 6 Apr 2025 | gov.uk | High |
| free shipping (with hidden return or handling fees) | Merchant Center hidden-fee examples | support.google.com | High |
| as approved by / trust seal (unauthorised) | CAP 3.52 | asa.org.uk | High |
| like & share to win | Engagement bait / like-gating | transparency.meta.com | High |
| only GBP1 (bait item unavailable) | Bait-and-switch | support.google.com | High |
| buy followers / boosted reviews | FTC bans buying fake social metrics | ftc.gov | High |
Risky creative patterns
- Permanent 'sale' with rolling end dates
- Strike-through price that was never charged
- Headline price that excludes mandatory fees
- Review widgets that filter out <4-star reviews
- Pre-ticked add-ons ('basket sneaking')
- A store that looks local but ships from overseas without saying so
Safer rewrites
Before and after examples. Swap the bracketed parts for your real details.
Before
Ends tonight! 50% off
After
Sale runs 1-14 Oct. Was GBP100 (lowest price in the prior 30 days), now GBP50.
Before
Free gift with every order
After
Free tote with orders over GBP40, while stocks last ([N] units)
Before
Lowest price guaranteed
After
Find it cheaper at [named UK retailers] within 7 days and we'll match it. T&Cs apply.
Before
From GBP19.99 + GBP3.99 service fee
After
GBP23.98 total incl. all mandatory fees
Before
Rated 5 stars by 10,000 customers
After
[X]/5 from [N] verified-purchase reviews (all ratings shown)
Policy and enforcement history
FTC Notice of Penalty Offenses on money-making claims (1,100+ firms)
FTC: Fashion Nova pays US$4.2m for review suppression
EU Omnibus Directive applies (30-day prior price, review verification)
CMA investigates Wowcher urgency claims
India CCPA Dark Patterns Guidelines (13 patterns)
FTC final rule on consumer reviews, effective 2024-10-21
CJEU Aldi Sud C-330/23 on % discounts
FTC click-to-cancel rule adopted
UK DMCC: fake reviews and drip pricing banned
Amazon gives undertakings to the CMA on fake reviews
8th Circuit vacates the FTC click-to-cancel rule
CMA opens its first DMCC investigations (8 firms) and sends 100 warning letters
Emma Sleep consent order on timers and urgency, was/now pricing goes to trial from 4 Jun 2026
Case studies
2025
CMA v Wayfair, Appliances Direct, Marks Electrical, Gold's Gym, StubHub, viagogo, AA/BSM
The adDrip pricing, time-limited sales, opt-ins
OutcomeFirst DMCC investigations (fines up to 10% of turnover)
LessonThe UK direct-fining regime is now live
2025
CMA v Amazon
The adFake reviews, catalogue abuse
OutcomeUndertakings 6 Jun 2025
LessonPlatforms must detect and sanction review abuse
2024
CJEU Aldi Sud
The ad% discount calculated against the previous day's price
OutcomeMust use the lowest price in the prior 30 days
LessonCalculate EU discounts from the 30-day low
2022
FTC v Fashion Nova
The adBlocked reviews under 4 stars
OutcomeUS$4.2m
LessonSuppressing reviews is deceptive
Rules by country
US
FTC reviews rule in force since 21 Oct 2024, click-to-cancel was vacated, but Section 5 and state laws still apply.
UAE
Executive Regulations (in force 14 Oct 2023) ban misleading claims, Dubai/Abu Dhabi DED permits needed for sales promotions (per 2016 guidance).
Check a e-commerce and retail ad
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Your report appears here.Each flag shows the phrase, the rule behind it, a source and a real case where a similar ad got in trouble.
This tool is a pre-launch screen, not legal advice. Meta and Google do not publish banned-word lists, so each flag is a risk signal tied to a published rule, regulator ruling or court case. Policies change often. Data last checked 5 October 2026.