Means of controlling the safe harbour system do exist, with the possibility of the imposition of penalties, but these only come into play in the event of unfair or fraudulent practices. It is at the discretion of the Federal Trade Commission whether it takes them into consideration.
Safe harbor-systemet indebærer forskellige former for kontrol og dertil knyttede sanktionsmuligheder, men kun i tilfælde af illoyal praksis eller svig, som Federal Trade Commission kan undersøge efter eget skøn.