AccessiBe
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reached a settlement with software provider accessiBe, an Israeli startup that offers a platform for making websites accessible to people with disabilities, requiring the company to pay $1 million. The settlement resolves allegations that accessiBe misrepresented its AI-powered web accessibility tool’s ability to ensure any website’s compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for users with disabilities.
New York-based accessiBe Inc. and accessiBe Ltd. (accessiBe) market and sell a web accessibility software plug-in called accessWidget that the company has said can make any website compliant with WCAG, a comprehensive set of technical criteria used to assess website accessibility. The company made the claims on its website, on social media, and in articles on third-party websites formatted to look like impartial and objective reviews.
However, the FTC said this was not in fact the case.
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According to the complaint, despite the company’s claims, accessWidget did not make all user websites WCAG-compliant and these claims were therefore false, misleading, or unsubstantiated, in violation of the FTC Act. In addition, the complaint alleges that accessiBe deceptively formatted third-party articles and reviews to appear as if they were independent opinions by impartial authors and failed to disclose the company’s material connections to the supposedly objective reviewers.
“Companies looking for help making their websites WCAG compliant must be able to trust that products do what they are advertised to do,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Overstating a product’s AI or other capabilities without adequate evidence is deceptive, and the FTC will act to stop it.”
“Following an FTC investigation, which focused on the past, 2019-2022, accessiBe has reached a settlement that does not include any admission of liability,” said the company. “The company completely denies the FTC’s allegations and believes that they are largely based on deficient testing and rely on outdated information. The FTC’s complaint in no way attacks the capabilities of accessiBe’s technological solutions to ensure that its clients’ websites comply with accessibility regulations in the U.S.”
“The settlement allows accessiBe to focus on the core mission for which the company was founded. For many businesses that want to make their websites accessible to all, accessiBe is still one of the most affordable options available, enabling a more accessible Internet,” it added. “We continue to strive to create a more inclusive world, both online and offline, and continue to take advantage of developments in the world of technology to offer more advanced services. In line with our commitment to transparency, we continue to take steps to ensure even greater transparency in our marketing materials.”
Founded in 2018 by Dekel Skoop, Gal Vizel and Shir Ekerling, AccessiBe offers web accessibility solutions and technologies that help businesses comply with ADA and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1 AA requirements. These things deal with ensuring that a website is more accessible to people with disabilities.
As a web accessibility hub, accessiBe provides different AI-Powered solutions for testing and remediating web accessibility, as well as various professional services aimed to create an inclusive web and help businesses comply with web accessibility standards and regulations i.e. WCAG and ADA. AccessiBe’s full suite of web accessibility solutions enable businesses of all sizes, from solopreneurs to large corporations, to take part in global inclusion efforts and to make their websites available to everybody, regardless of ability.
