You may have heard this before, social media is not exempt from the ad rules regarding testimonials and endorsements. The FTC announced (again) that marketers placing short form ads in social media must comply with three basic truth-in-advertising principles: Endorsements must be truthful and not misleading; If the advertiser doesn’t have proof that the endorser’s (...) [Read More]
Category Archives: Federal Regulations
Collecting children’s data without their parents’ permission earns the FTC a cool $1M fine from Bieber Fansite
October 5, 2012
Websites should consider treating children as an attractive nuisance. Even consider putting up fences to keep them out. The FTC is monitoring many websites that attract children (even unintentionally) for COPPA violations. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, COPPA, requires websites to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from kids under age 13. (...) [Read More]
Children and Digital Advertising Collection Practices: FTC to issue new COPPA Rules
August 1, 2012
Does your website have a Facebook “Like” button? Is your website, mobile site or mobile app directed at adults but attracts children under age 13? Pull out your pens. The Wall Street Journal reports that today FTC is expected to issue new rules proposed last fall to protect children online and on mobile devices. The new (...) [Read More]
When is Advertising Invasive or Just “Creepy”?
March 10, 2012
Cookies are one of my favorite things. Usually, this refers to the oatmeal raisin variety rather than those tiny bits of computer code that empower websites to remember a user’s login, keep items in a shopping cart and greet the user by name when she returns. Warm and fuzzy, right? Sometimes, not so much. I (...) [Read More]
What is Protected as “Private” Online?
March 10, 2012
Less than one might think. Online privacy focuses on the use of personal information and how it is contributed, collected, shared and used by the user and other people and companies providing web services. “Personally Identifiable Information” (a.k.a. “PII”) is protected by a web of laws – but non-personally identifiable information collected by many websites (...) [Read More]
In the Matter of Facebook: FTC Forces Privacy Fix
November 29, 2011
Facebook settled with the FTC today over its chameleon-like privacy policy reports Gizmodo, putting the user into the driver’s seat for privacy settings. No more Big-Daddy-Knows-Best privacy changes. FTC announced that given the long history of Facebook privacy changes and broken promises, it issued an order that Facebook be barred from making misrepresentations about the privacy of user’s (...) [Read More]
Comment period ending soon on FTC’s proposed amendments to the Mail Order Rule – clarification of applicability to Internet sales.
November 28, 2011
The Mail or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule was established to provide telephone or mail-order customers comfort as to when their merchandise would be shipped. If merchandise cannot be shipped within the time promised, the seller must either secure the customer’s consent to delay shipping or refund the customer’s payment. The FTC had concerns as to (...) [Read More]
