BLOGGERS MUST DISCLOSE FREEBIES AND FINANCIAL INTERESTS OR BE FINED
October 7th 2009 02:40
AMERICAN REGULATOR RULES THAT BLOGGERS MUST DISCLOSE FREEBIES AND FINANCIAL INTERESTS OR BE FINED
Bloggers, whether they like it or not, are being dragged into the rules that the so-called “traditional media” must obey.
Recent court cases have shown that bloggers can be held liable for libellous comments on their blogs, and hiding behind anonymity is no longer an option. Courts it seems can order the identify of bloggers to be revealed.
Now American regulator the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that amateur bloggers must disclose payments they receive to mention products, they must disclose financial interests and they must even disclose freebies they receive, or be fined up to $11,000.
This applies particularly to gadget bloggers and Amazon.com reviewers.
The rules announced by US federal regulators on Monday attempt to make word-of-mouth endorsements on the net easier to believe, and to prevent the net from being flooded with paid-for reviews which appear to be the work of everyday netizens, but are actually paid for with free products.
But Wired points out that the American new rules are confusing, ambiguous and likely unenforceable in the real world, given the size of the net, the sheer number of blogs and reviewers, and the difficulty of making distinctions between media professionals and amateurs – and between sponsored posts and pure reviews.
Wired said, “Under the new rules, a hiking enthusiast with a personal blog who got a free backpack would have to tell readers about the gift and also disclose it in any online review.
“By contrast, established review sites such as Consumer Reports or Wired.com’s Gadget Lab do not need to disclose whether they get freebies or what they do with them. (For the record Wired.com returns most anything of value that can be returned.)
“The Federal Trade Commission’s logic is that people trust established sites. They can’t do the same for a blog or reviewer, so disclosures are a must.”
Bloggers, whether they like it or not, are being dragged into the rules that the so-called “traditional media” must obey.
Recent court cases have shown that bloggers can be held liable for libellous comments on their blogs, and hiding behind anonymity is no longer an option. Courts it seems can order the identify of bloggers to be revealed.
Now American regulator the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that amateur bloggers must disclose payments they receive to mention products, they must disclose financial interests and they must even disclose freebies they receive, or be fined up to $11,000.
The rules announced by US federal regulators on Monday attempt to make word-of-mouth endorsements on the net easier to believe, and to prevent the net from being flooded with paid-for reviews which appear to be the work of everyday netizens, but are actually paid for with free products.
But Wired points out that the American new rules are confusing, ambiguous and likely unenforceable in the real world, given the size of the net, the sheer number of blogs and reviewers, and the difficulty of making distinctions between media professionals and amateurs – and between sponsored posts and pure reviews.
Wired said, “Under the new rules, a hiking enthusiast with a personal blog who got a free backpack would have to tell readers about the gift and also disclose it in any online review.
“By contrast, established review sites such as Consumer Reports or Wired.com’s Gadget Lab do not need to disclose whether they get freebies or what they do with them. (For the record Wired.com returns most anything of value that can be returned.)
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