Trust & Compliance
BeRef exists so founders can build trust without lying. The product is designed around one rule — "if you have no references, don't fake them; send verifiable, clearly-labeled proof" — and that rule lines up with the consumer-protection and data-protection laws that matter in our launch markets, the United States and the European Union. This page sets out the specific provisions we design against and how. It is general information, not legal advice.
How BeRef is built to comply
- No fabricated proof. BeRef never generates fake reviews, testimonials, logos or customer stories. By design, the product makes that impossible.
- Honest labeling. Every asset is tagged — Live, Demo, Sample, Pilot outcome, Founder statement — so a buyer always knows what is real versus illustrative.
- Consent that is logged and revocable. Any third-party proof (a quote, a milestone, a logo right) is collected with recorded consent and can be withdrawn at any time, after which the proof is unpublished.
- AI disclosure. Any AI-generated or AI-assisted content is disclosed as such.
United States — FTC
Buying or selling fake or AI-fabricated reviews and testimonials is prohibited under the US Federal Trade Commission's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, 16 CFR Part 465 (finalized 2024, effective 21 October 2024), with the FTC Act §5 / 15 U.S.C. §45prohibition on unfair or deceptive acts as the umbrella authority. BeRef's honest-labeling model is built to keep founders on the right side of this rule: proof is presented as exactly what it is, never disguised as a customer reference it isn't.
European Union — GDPR
Where BeRef processes personal data (names, titles, quotes, logos, voices or faces in proof assets, and waitlist contacts), we design against the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), in particular:
- Art. 6 — a lawful basis for every processing activity (consent for waitlist and for published proof; legitimate interest for security and fraud prevention).
- Art. 7 (incl. Art. 7(3)) — valid, freely-given consent that can be withdrawn as easily as it was given.
- Art. 13 — transparent information at the point of collection (see our Privacy Policy).
- Art. 17— the right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): revoking consent unpublishes the proof.
- Art. 21 — the right to object.
- Art. 28 — data-processing agreements with our processors (e.g. hosting, database, email, payments).
- Art. 32 — appropriate security of processing.
European Union — AI Act
The EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) sets transparency obligations in Article 50 for AI-generated or AI-manipulated content. BeRef discloses any AI-generated or AI-assisted proof so it is never mistaken for an unaided human artifact. (Article 50 transparency obligations apply from August 2026.)
Germany & DACH
- Impressum — DDG §5 (Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz, successor to TMG §5 since May 2024): every public commercial page must carry an easily accessible provider identification. See our Impressum.
- UWG §5 / §5a (Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb): no misleading commercial practices, including misleading by omission.
- Fake reviews — UWG §3(3) Annex ("Blacklist") Nr. 23b & 23c and §5b(3): submitting or commissioning fake consumer reviews, and failing to disclose how reviews are verified, are prohibited. These transpose the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC, as amended by the Omnibus Directive (EU) 2019/2161.
Other markets
Equivalent honesty-in-advertising and data-protection regimes apply elsewhere (for example the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 and UK GDPR). Because BeRef's core design principle is the same everywhere — no fabricated proof, everything labeled, consent logged and revocable — the product is built to travel across jurisdictions rather than to satisfy any single one.
More
See our Privacy Policy, Terms and Impressum. For anything else, email beref@beref.tech.