Bloggers Must Disclose Sponsored Posts

[Steve]

A company that pays bloggers to write about products for payment is now requiring full disclosure (http://www.hardocp.com/news.html?news=MjMxMjQsLCxobmV3cywsLDE=) 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...