You might think this feels like vindication, but it does not.

Sure, it’s nice to be validated by the FTC after 5 years of shouting to anyone who will listen that accessiBe is a net harm for the disability community. But the settlement is a pittance.

Reports put accessiBe’s 2024 revenue at $51.3 million. The settlement has a fine of $1 million. Subtracted from its 2024 revenue, that leaves accessiBe with $50.3 million dollars for the year. Dollars earned by lying to customers, misrepresenting itself to the community, and arguably harming disabled users.

According to the FTC, accessiBe not only fell short of its promises to clients, but engaged in misleading marketing. accessiBe “deceptively formatted third-party articles and reviews” to appear as if they were independent opinions by impartial authors, said the agency in a press release, and failed to reveal “material connections” to supposedly objective reviewers.