Bloggers Must Disclose Sponsored Posts

[HardOCP News]

A company that pays bloggers to write about products for payment is now requiring full disclosure about the payment for reviews.

Besides other bloggers questioning the ethics of receiving payments without disclosure, the Federal Trade Commission said in a Dec. 7 staff opinion that failure to disclose could, in some cases, violate consumer-protection laws on deception. The FTC did not single out PayPerPost or say whether it would launch any investigation.

 

[SEALTeamSix]

Well, this looks like the beginning of the end for Tom's Hardware...

Seriously, I appreciate this. In this age of corporate sponsorship of "unbiased" review sites, marketing firms shilling on web boards (this one and many others), falsely-inflated ratings by "5-star drive-bys", and online marketplace stores eliminating negative reviews and censoring its own customers, this is a step in the right direction.

Now if the FTC would just do something about the collection companies calling my number 20 times a day, asking for someone who hasn't had my number in years...

$0.02

 

[drizzt81]

Excellent idea. How are they planning to enforce this?

 

[InorganicMatter]

Oh dear, looks like the end for old Sharikou...