America's Memo to Bloggers: Don't Lie, or We'll Fine You
The long-running debate over freedom of speech on the internet took a new twist yesterday, when America's most important regulators - the Federal Trade Commission - decided to approve new rules to stop independent bloggers from hiding their links to advertisers.
More accurately, the FTC has put forward a new series of guidelines designed to encourage fair and transparent product reviews online - including an attempt to regulate "payola" on websites and blogs. The possible consequence of breaking those rules? A fine of up to $11,000 (more than £6,800 in real money).
Payola schemes - where web users are offered money or gifts to write about certain services or products - have increased in recent years, as marketers realise that there's a lot of hay to be made by using freebies and cash incentives to encourage bloggers, web users and forum contributors to produce reviews or testimonials. At its worst, it is a form of astroturfing, the pernicious practice of trying to trick people into thinking that has widespread support from ordinary members of the public.
Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
