Scan rule · RSC-PRV-020
Testimonial with an invented face
Finds portraits from random-face generators inside sections that show testimonials or references.
Why this matters
Services such as pravatar.cc or randomuser.me return a random face on request. The person shown does not exist. Next to a customer quote, the page thereby asserts a customer who never existed.
German unfair-competition law prohibits faked reviews and endorsements explicitly (§ 5 with Annex No. 23b). Whether anyone was actually misled does not matter — and it does not help if the quote is real and only the photo borrowed: the image then asserts a person who does not exist in that form.
Intent is rarely involved. The generator fills the section with sample data so the page does not look empty while being built, and at launch it simply stays. We only report services whose sole purpose is an invented face — stock photos show real people and are not a finding, and an abstract mark derived from a real name in a user list is exactly right.
Scan tier
How to fix it
Use real names and real photos — or remove the section until you have real voices.