Regulatory risk is now a marketing problem
The fines are coming. Get ahead of them.
New subscription-trap, AI-disclosure, and data-cleanliness laws are turning yesterday's growth tactics into today's legal liabilities. MAC audits, fixes, and helps you communicate your accountability — before a regulator, or TrustGap, does it for you.
What changed
The new rules punishing bad data, undisclosed AI, and deceptive marketing.
New York City's DCWP crackdown on "subscription traps," advised by former FTC Chair Lina Khan, is the latest in a wave of enforcement. History says the "New York Effect" makes these local rules the national default within a cycle — the way trans-fat bans and calorie counts did. Read the full MAC field report →
Click-to-cancel rules
New York City's DCWP-enforced subscription rules — built on the same "1-to-1" logic as the federal FTC click-to-cancel rule — require that canceling be exactly as easy as signing up. No phone trees, no retention chatbots, no mailed letters.
Minimum $525 per violation, plus restitution of historical fees.
All-in upfront pricing
Advertised prices must include every mandatory fee upfront. "Convenience," "lifestyle," and junk service fees tacked on at checkout are now banned outright, with active DCWP enforcement.
Escalating civil penalties per deceptive listing.
No-cost free trials
Consumers can no longer be charged to return a "free" trial item, and renewal terms can no longer be buried. Regulators can bring direct civil action for violations.
Direct civil enforcement, no cure period required.
Undisclosed AI imagery in ads
A fast-growing wave of state rules and FTC guidance now require clear, conspicuous disclosure when marketing imagery, testimonials, or endorsements are AI-generated or digitally altered — silence is being treated as a deceptive claim.
FTC Act Section 5 deception exposure + state-level fines.
Data accuracy & minimization duties
State privacy laws increasingly require that the personal data behind your targeting, attribution, and retention claims be accurate, minimized, and auditable — "we didn't know our data was dirty" is no longer a defense.
Per-violation fines plus mandated audits and consent decrees.
How MAC helps
Plan proactively, instead of reacting to a complaint.
We apply the same rigor to your brand that TrustGap applies to every company it scores — before a regulator, journalist, or customer does it publicly.
Map every point of friction
We audit your sign-up, billing, and cancellation flows the same way TrustGap audits public companies — claim by claim, click by click — before a regulator or a viral post does it for you.
Flag every undisclosed claim
Every AI-touched image, testimonial, and dataset gets checked against current disclosure rules, with a plain-language list of exactly what needs a label, a rewrite, or a removal.
Build the compliance record
Regulators reward documented good faith. We help you build the paper trail — audit logs, disclosure copy, consent flows — that turns "we didn't know" into "here's our record."
The upside
Turn regulatory risk into a competitive advantage.
Friction-based retention was always a house of cards. Brands that get compliant first don't just avoid fines — they get to own the trust story competitors built on dark patterns can't tell.
Trust converts better than friction
Brands that remove exit friction see higher-quality churn signal and stronger word-of-mouth — customers who leave easily are the ones most likely to come back.
Compliance is a marketing asset
A visible, third-party-reviewed accountability standard is a differentiator competitors built on dark patterns cannot copy overnight.
Get ahead of the New York Effect
History shows NYC's consumer rules become the national default within a cycle or two. Brands that comply now avoid a scramble later — and get to say they led.
What we offer
Audit. Fix. Communicate.
Four services, built to move a brand from exposed to accountable — and to say so credibly once you get there.
Regulatory Compliance Audit
A full audit of sign-up, billing, cancellation, pricing, and AI-content disclosure flows against the current NYC/DCWP, FTC, and state rules — delivered as a scored, prioritized findings report.
Remediation Roadmap
Line-item fixes ranked by regulatory exposure and points recoverable on your TrustGap Accountability Score, with copy, flow, and disclosure language MAC will help you implement.
Accountability Communications
Once you've fixed the gaps, we help you say so credibly — public-facing accountability statements, disclosure language, and press-ready materials that turn compliance into a trust story.
Ongoing Monitoring & Re-Scoring
Quarterly re-audits and TrustGap re-scoring so drift gets caught internally — long before it becomes a regulator complaint or a public callout.
Ready when you are
Already got a low TrustGap score?
That's exactly the exposure these new laws are built to punish. A compliance audit with MAC is the fastest way to close the gap TrustGap found — and the fastest way to raise your score.
Talk to Jay.
Tell us about your subscription flows, advertising disclosures or data practices. Include your name, organization and the issue you want to address.
Email your inquiry →Opens your email app. Your message goes directly to jay@jaymandel.com when you send it.