FTC Online Advertising – FTC Guardian

Groundbreaking Settlements – Fake Social Media Engagement Illegal

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 13:08:16 +0000

In Groundbreaking Settlements, Attorneys General Find Fake Social Media Engagement Illegal

The Office of the New York Attorney General (“NY AG”) and the Office of the Florida Attorney General (“Florida AG”) announced settlements with Devumi LLC and its offshoot companies (“Devumi”), which sold fake social media engagement, such as followers, likes and views, on various social media platforms. According to the NY AG, such social media engagement is fake in that “it purports to reflect the activity and authentic favor of actual people on the platform, when in fact the activity was not generated by actual people and/or does not reflect genuine interest.”

These settlements are the first in the United States to find that selling fake social media engagement constitutes illegal deception and that using stolen social media identities to engage in online activity is illegal. The NY AG emphasized that the New York settlement sends a “clear message that anyone profiting off of deception and impersonation is breaking the law and will be held accountable.”

Devumi grossed $15 million dollars from 2015 to 2017 by selling fake social media engagement through bots and “sock puppet” accounts. A sock puppet account is the account of one person who is pretending to be many others. In other words, it is multiple accounts controlled by the same user. Some of the fake accounts used real social media profiles without the profile owner’s consent or knowledge.

The company also sold endorsements from social media “influencers” without disclosing that the endorsements were paid for. An influencer is a social media user with a substantial following, who monetizes their online popularity by endorsing goods, services and events to their followers.

Read the full article here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business and Website Are FTC & GDPR Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

FTC Guardian is a service that is 100% focused on helping to keep you get and stay FTC & GDPR compliant and fully protected. And right now, we are offering free training to give you the knowledge, information, and guidance that you need to stay out of trouble with the Federal Trade Commission and the new GDPR guidelines.

Free Compliance Workshop: Join Chip Cooper, Esq., the #1 FTC Compliance & GDPR trainer in the World, for a one-of-kind, completely free online compliance workshop.

Workshops fill up quickly, so register now.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover in the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It’s not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Neither the author nor FTC Guardian, Inc. is endorsed by the Federal Trade Commission.

‘FORTNITE’ PLAYERS CLAIM THEY WERE SCAMMED WITH LAME ‘LOOT’

Allyn Cutts — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 16:05:39 +0000

‘FORTNITE’ PLAYERS CLAIM THEY WERE SCAMMED WITH LAME ‘LOOT’

By Mike LaSusa

Epic Games Inc., the maker of the popular video game “Fortnite,” conned players into buying so-called loot boxes that rarely contained the valuable in-game accouterments promised by the company's advertising, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.

The suit filed claims Fortnite's “Save the World” game mode allows players to purchase loot boxes known as “Llamas,” which were marketed “as highly likely to contain valuable loot that will increase a player's power and prowess” but actually contained mostly basic items.

The complaint cites research indicating children may be less able to think critically about how in-game purchases are advertised, and alleges Epic exploits that naivete to reap huge profits.

Read the full article here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business and Website Are FTC & GDPR Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

FTC Guardian is a service that is 100% focused on helping to keep you get and stay FTC & GDPR compliant and fully protected. And right now, we are offering a free training to give you the knowledge, information, and guidance that you need to stay out of trouble with the Federal Trade Commission and the new GDPR guidelines.

Free Compliance Workshop: Join Chip Cooper, Esq., the #1 FTC Compliance & GDPR trainer in the World, for a one-of-kind, completely free online compliance workshop.

Workshops fill up quickly, so register now.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

Sprint sues AT&T over the company’s use of ‘5G E’ claims false advertising

Allyn Cutts — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 20:52:57 +0000

Sprint sues AT&T over the company's use of ‘5G E' claims false advertising

By Eli Blumenthal

AT&T's calling its latest 4G LTE network “5G E” isn't just drawing the ire of tech media and fans. It's now drawing fire from Sprint in the form of a lawsuit.

In a lawsuit filed in New York's Southern District, Sprint says it is taking the action as a result of “AT&T’s false advertising and deceptive acts” around 5G E.

Since late last year, AT&T has been touting its upgraded 4G LTE network as 5G E in TV ads, ramping up the running of the spots in 2019.

In a statement provided to USA TODAY, Sprint says that “AT&T is deliberately deceiving consumers into believing that their existing 4G LTE network operates on a coveted and highly anticipated 5G network.”

Read the full article here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business and Website Are FTC & GDPR Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

Free Compliance Workshop: Join Chip Cooper, Esq., the #1 FTC Compliance & GDPR trainer in the World, for a one-of-kind, completely free online compliance workshop.

Workshops fill up quickly, so register now.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

US FTC stops internet marketers from giving deceptive free trial offers

Allyn Cutts — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 00:14:54 +0000

US FTC stops internet marketers from giving deceptive free trial offers

By Devdiscourse team

A federal district court has granted the Federal Trade Commission’s request to stop a group of San Diego-based Internet marketers from deceptively advertising free trial offers and not only charging consumers full-price for the trial product but also enrolling them in expensive, ongoing continuity plans without their knowledge or consent. The court order announced today temporarily halts the operation, freezes its assets, and appoints a temporary receiver over the business.

According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants market and sell a variety of products online, including skin creams, electronic cigarettes, and dietary supplements. Advertising through third-party websites, blog posts, and surveys, the defendants allegedly offer consumers “RISK FREE” trials of products such as “Wrinkle Rewind,” “Erase Repair H/A,” “Pro Vapor,” “Cerebral X,” “Test X Core,” and “Garcinia Clean XT.”

In addition, the FTC alleges the defendants use deceptive order confirmation pages to trick consumers into ordering additional products, for which the defendants similarly charge consumers full price and enroll them in negative-option plans. The defendants then make it difficult to cancel the continuity plan, stop or avoid the recurring charges, or obtain a refund.

Read the full article here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business and Website Are FTC & GDPR Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

Free Compliance Workshop: Join Chip Cooper, Esq., the #1 FTC Compliance & GDPR trainer in the World, for a one-of-kind, completely free online compliance workshop.

Workshops fill up quickly, so register now.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

The 7 Legal Rules Your Emails Must Follow

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 20 May 2018 16:24:16 +0000

The 7 Legal Rules Your Emails Must Follow

By Susan Gunelius

As an email marketer, you need to comply with laws that were put in place to protect consumers. While it might be tempting to buy a list of email addresses and just start sending messages to everyone on that list, this is a bad idea for a few reasons.

First, you might be breaking the law. Second, you might be hurting your chances of your future email marketing messages getting into people's email inboxes, including inboxes belonging to your own customers. The bottom line is, your actions as an email marketer can affect the deliverability of your email today and in the future.

The cost for noncompliance can be very high, particularly since you can be charged penalties for each separate email violation up to $40,654. Furthermore, if your email messages violate other laws, such as those related to deceptive advertising, you could face even more fines or criminal penalties, including imprisonment.

Read the full article and learn more about Compliance here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

FTC Guardian is a service that is 100% focused on helping to keep you get and stay FTC compliant and fully protected. And right now, we are offering a free training to give you the knowledge, information, and guidance that you need to stay out of trouble with the Federal Trade Commission.

Free Compliance Workshop: Join Chip Cooper, Esq., the #1 FTC Compliance trainer in the World, for a one-of-kind, completely free online compliance workshop. Workshops fill up quickly, so register now.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

Consumer groups file FTC complaint against YouTube for collecting kids’ personal data without parental consent

Allyn Cutts — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 22:52:34 +0000

Consumer groups file FTC complaint against YouTube for collecting kids’ personal data without parental consent

By Robin Kurzer

A coalition of 23 consumer groups filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission charging YouTube with violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal data on children without parental consent. YouTube is owned by Google.

From the CCFC post announcing what it is calling a “landmark complaint”:

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, is the only federal law regulating how to handle kids’ online data, and its demands are relatively straightforward: if you run a site for kids, or if you know kids are using your site, you need to a) tell their parents exactly what kind of personal data you collect, and b) get verifiable parental permission before you gather any information from or about kids. There’s other stuff, too, but those are the basic requirements, and Google doesn’t even try to meet them. Instead, their privacy policy says that YouTube isn’t for children under 13, and that kids shouldn’t use it.

Read the full article and learn more about COPPA here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

Social Media Influencers Stump for More Seamless Product Placement

Allyn Cutts — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 11:43:25 +0000

Social Media Influencers Stump for More Seamless Product Placement

By Mikey Glazer

There’s a new social media beef brewing in Hollywood.

A cross-section of influencers, their reps, and brand middlemen called out the FTC’s compulsory disclosures for their lucrative “sponsored post” line of business as unfair and discriminatory because television shows, music videos, NBA stars and Kardashians get a pass for publishing the same content.

Though billed as a panel featuring actress/social media star Arden Rose, online video vet Larry Shapiro (FullScreen, Big Frame, Ensemble), Ruben Ochoa (Head of the Disruptiv Agency), and digital L.A.’s glue Drew Baldwin (Tubefilter, The Streamy Awards), these stakeholders in the social media industry on stage and allies in the crowd unanimously grilled panelist Thomas Dahdouh, Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Western Division, who kept his cool under gang cross-examination similar to a witness testifying before Congress.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

Native advertising grows up fast, shedding its rogue image

Allyn Cutts — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 10:39:29 +0000

Native advertising grows up fast, shedding its rogue image

It was five years ago next month, soon after native advertising had burst on the digital scene, that the Federal Trade Commission took note and convened a hearing on whether the genre was deceptive, regularly disguised as real journalism content.

A lot has changed since. At top-of-the-line operations like the New York Times, the Atlantic and Vox Media, sponsored content is part of the mix, even sometimes the dominant part of the ad base. Those three outlets and other publishers have created well-staffed in-house “studios” to produce the ads.

In a nutshell, the FTC decided to narrow its focus to direct-to-consumer ads of commercial products (as opposed, for instance to political ads or marketing services to business customers). The test, the guide explains, is transparency: “An advertisement or promotional message shouldn’t suggest or imply to consumers that it’s anything other than an ad.”

Read full article and learn more about Native Advertising here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

Google looks to tackle intrusive in-app advertising with new guidelines

Allyn Cutts — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 16:31:20 +0000

Google looks to tackle intrusive in-app advertising with new guidelines

By Abhijit Ahaskar

Google is trying to restore peace of mind for users by blocking disruptive and deceptive ads.

Google allows app developers to monetise their apps in various ways such as in-app purchases, one-time payment, subscriptions or through mobile advertisements. Most free app developers rely on mobile advertisements as it allows them to keep the apps free for users.

However, mobile advertisements can be very annoying as they often show at the most inopportune time, waste mobile data and disrupt users from doing whatever they were in the middle of.

Google has updated its monetization and ads policy for the Play Store to rein in apps which are intrusive, show advertising outside of the app and make false claims to deceive users.

Google’s new Lockscreen Monetization policy prohibits app developers from showing advertisements or other such features on the smartphone’s lockscreen, unless it is a launcher or lockscreen app. It says, “Ads must only be displayed within the app serving them.”

Read full article and learn more about trends in technology here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

4 Things Marketers Should Know About the FTC’s Latest Crackdown on Influencer-Driven Social Media

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 12:03:19 +0000

Here are the basics of what you can and cannot do

By Lauren Johnson

Do you know the difference between an #ad, #sponsored content and a brand #partnership?

As more brands turn to influencers to crank out social media posts, the Federal Trade Commission updated its endorsement guidance last month, giving more clarity into what specific language creators can and cannot use when working with brands on sponsored content.

1. Clever hashtags don’t cut it

There are still a lot of grey areas in the language that the FTC deems OK in distinguishing ads from regular content, but the latest round of recommendations does pin down two recommended hashtags for paid content: #ad and #sponsored. Per the government agency, both hashtags make it super clear that a person is working with a brand without leaving any wiggle room for interpretation.

“We know that the influencer has a relationship with the brand—whether they’ve been paid or received a gift or they’re an employee or even the owner—there has to be a disclosure that it’s paid,” Altshuler said.

Read full article to find out the other 3 must know things for influencer-driven social media here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too

The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!

How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms

3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.

And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!