False urgency or scarcity
gate 1, Persuasion · Fail
Countdowns, "only N left" and "last chance" claims fail the refuse-it question unless they are true and checked. A false limited-time claim is on the blacklist of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.
Manufactured social pressure
gate 1, Persuasion · Fail
Live counters of people viewing or buying push a decision by pressure rather than information, and the reader cannot check them.
Confirmshaming
gate 1, Persuasion · Fail
A decline option worded to shame the reader makes refusal cost something. That is the definition of a technique the customer cannot refuse freely.
Threat or fear of missing out
gate 1, Persuasion · Fail
Copy that threatens a loss for not buying ("or else", "before it’s too late", "don’t get left behind") works by fear rather than information. The customer cannot weigh it, only react to it, which fails the refuse-it question.
Pressure to act immediately
gate 1, Persuasion · Caution
A call to act now is ordinary on its own. It becomes pressure when nothing about the offer actually depends on the moment, because then the only thing "now" adds is less time to think.
Consent by continuing
gate 1, Persuasion · Caution
"By continuing you agree" bundles a decision into an action the reader was going to take anyway. It passes only if the terms are visible and the alternative is one click away.
Drip pricing
gate 1, Persuasion · Fail
A headline price that leaves out unavoidable fees misleads on the material decision. The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive already covers it, and it is named in the plans for the Digital Fairness Act.
Reference price without the 30-day rule
gate 1, Persuasion · Caution
A "was / now" price is a claim about the past. Under the EU rules on price reductions, the reference must be the lowest price of the previous 30 days, and the customer should be able to see that.
Subscription or trial without a visible exit
gate 1, Persuasion · Caution
Free trials and auto-renewals are among the announced targets of the Digital Fairness Act, because the exit is usually hidden. "Cancel anytime" is a claim; the route is the proof.
Targeting a vulnerability
gate 2, Personalisation · Stop
Copy that makes financial distress, health worries or an emotional state the reason to buy sits on rung five of the personalisation ladder. When a model selects who sees it, it can fall under the AI Act’s ban on exploiting vulnerabilities.
Unverifiable superlative
gate 3, Provenance · Caution
Claims a reader cannot check ("best", "#1", "trusted by thousands") are promises with nothing behind them. They fail the provenance gate until a source is attached.
Outcome claim without evidence
gate 3, Provenance · Caution
"Clinically proven", "cures", "results in 7 days" are claims about outcomes. Without a source they fail provenance, and for health services they may also breach advertising codes.
Undisclosed chat persona
gate 3, Provenance · Caution
A chat that answers as a named person without saying it is software fails the disclosure rule in Article 50 of the AI Act, and fails the provenance gate before that.
Swearing
gate 3, Provenance · Caution
Swearing in copy is a choice some brands make on purpose. The provenance question is whether a named person at the business would sign it, in front of every customer who will read it. Checked in English, Dutch, Turkish and French.
Slur or insult
gate 3, Provenance · Fail
A slur, or an insult about a group or the reader, fails whoever it is aimed at: nobody would sign it in front of the people it names. Checked in English, Dutch, Turkish and French.
Number without a source nearby
gate 3, Provenance · Caution
Every number needs a source or a caveat within reach of the reader. A figure that stands alone is a claim the reader has to take on trust, and the provenance gate does not accept trust as evidence.