AccessiBe, which provides businesses with AI-powered web accessibility tools, has settled claims with the Federal Trade Commission for $1 million over alleged claims about its product marketing. The FTC alleged that accessiBe led its customers into believing that the tool could make websites fully compliant with accessibility guidelines.
This proposed order, issued on January 3, 2025, underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in the web accessibility space, especially as AI-driven tools grow in prevalence. This isn’t the first time accessiBe has faced scrutiny. Recently, a class action lawsuit by one of its clients, who alleged that the accessiBe’s accessibility widget didn’t make its website fully compliant. The client was then sued for having an inaccessible website.
Businesses seeking to improve website accessibility should ensure that these types of tools they use are thoroughly tested and comply with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). While AI tools can assist with accessibility, they should never replace the need for proper compliance checks, remediation, and human testing to address all necessary aspects of web accessibility. These automated tools have been found to only address about 30% of website issues and may also slow down website performance, as well as cause malfunctions during site maintenance, among other downsides.
Instead of using overlays, EcomBack professionals manually fix the underlying website code to eliminate accessibility barriers. Contact us today to get a FREE Audit.
