Bloggers Can Be Fined Up to 11K Per Post for Non-Disclosure
The new FTC guidelines have come out today. The FTC says:
The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other “word-of-mouth” marketers.
the FTC begins to heavily regulate bloggers
The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service. Likewise, if a company refers in an advertisement to the findings of a research organization that conducted research sponsored by the company, the advertisement must disclose the connection between the advertiser and the research organization. And a paid endorsement – like any other advertisement – is deceptive if it makes false or misleading claims.
Bloggers can be fined up to 11,000 per post for not disclosing when they receive payment or free products from a company they’re writing about.
Read More: By jatinmahindra
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So Washington is more concerned about "transparency" with a bunch of harmless bloggers, myself included, than it is with transparency at the Federal Reserve. That's all the information you need to know to figure out where Obama's allegiances lie.