Thursday, October 8, 2009

New FTC Rules On Blogs, Twitter, Online And Celebrity Endorsements

The FTC issued new rules this week relating to blogs. Articles in the New York Times can be found here and here.  The New York Times said:
the Federal Trade Commission has now promulgated guidelines that compel celebrities and bloggers and those horror hybrids, blogger-celebrities, to reveal when they are compensated for any association with products.

Think of poor Gwyneth Paltrow! Her weekly GOOP newsletter is filled with heartfelt recommendations of services, products, experts and restaurants. This means one free garganelli at Babbo and, blammo: the F.T.C. may clap her in what are most likely non-hypoallergenic shackles. Every product-related Twitter comment and blog post must now be annotated with legalese.
And the other article:
The new regulations are aimed at the rapidly shifting new-media world and how advertisers are using bloggers and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to pitch their wares.

The F.T.C. said that beginning on Dec. 1, bloggers who review products must disclose any connection with advertisers, including, in most cases, the receipt of free products and whether or not they were paid in any way by advertisers, as occurs frequently. The new rules also take aim at celebrities, who will now need to disclose any ties to companies, should they promote products on a talk show or on Twitter. A second major change, which was not aimed specifically at bloggers or social media, was to eliminate the ability of advertisers to gush about results that differ from what is typical — for instance, from a weight loss supplement.
Additionally, the FTC Guideline Endorsements are below.

Ftc Guidelines Endorsements


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