Social Media Compliance – 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.

Leveraging Influence To Launch An E-Commerce Store

Allyn Cutts — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 23:11:17 +0000

Leveraging Influence To Launch An E-Commerce Store

By Jia Wertz

Social media influencers are navigating a stricter digital landscape since the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned social media influencers to clearly label paid advertisements.

Influencers working with brands must follow FTC's Endorsement Guide and very clearly present paid posts as advertisements, but unfortunately, this basic standard is not being met all of the time.

Launching an e-commerce channel is an increasingly popular solution. On the plus side, it doesn’t have some of the sticky legal and trust issues associated with sponsored posts. But the downside is, it’s not quite as easy.

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!

France fines Google nearly $57 million for first major violation of new European privacy regime

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 13:43:49 +0000

France fines Google nearly $57 million for a first major violation of new European privacy regime

By: Tony Romm

Google has been fined nearly $57 million by French regulators for violating Europe's tough new data privacy rules, marking the first major penalty brought against a U.S. technology giant since the regionwide regulations took effect last year.

France's top data privacy agency, known as the CNIL, said Monday that Google failed to fully disclose to users how their personal information is collected and what happens to it. Google also did not properly obtain users' consent for the purpose of showing them personalized ads, the watchdog agency said.

To French regulators, Google's business practices ran afoul of Europe's new General Data Protection Regulation. Implemented in 2018, the sweeping privacy rules, commonly referred to as GDPR, have set a global standard that has forced Google and its tech peers in Silicon Valley to rethink their data collection practices or risk sky-high fines.

The United States lacks a similar overarching federal consumer privacy law, a deficiency in the eyes of privacy rights advocates that has elevated Europe as the world's de facto privacy cop.

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!

After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 20 May 2018 18:57:14 +0000

After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

By The Associated Press

Facebook has taken the lion’s share of scrutiny from Congress and the media about data-handling practices that allow savvy marketers and political agents to target specific audiences, but it’s far from alone. YouTube, Google and Twitter also have giant platforms awash in more videos, posts and pages than any set of human eyes could ever check. Their methods of serving ads against this sea of content may come under the microscope next.

Advertising and privacy experts say a backlash is inevitable against a “Wild West” internet that has escaped scrutiny before. There continues to be a steady barrage of new examples where unsuspecting advertisers had their brands associated with extremist content on major platforms.

“I absolutely think that Google is next and long overdue,” said Josh Golin, director of the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google-owned YouTube’s advertising and data collection practices earlier this month.

Read the full article and learn more about Social Media 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!

Cryptocurrency startups bypass Facebook ad ban with sly marketing tricks

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 20 May 2018 16:53:03 +0000

Cryptocurrency startups bypass Facebook ad ban with sly marketing tricks

By Mix

As part of its larger efforts to clean up its act, a couple of months back Facebook announced it will no longer allow ads promoting crypto-products and initial coin offerings (ICOs) on its platforms. But it seems that sly marketers have already worked out how to slip cryptocurrency ads past the filtering system.

The worst part is that the trick is ridiculously simple: all it takes to circumvent the cryptocurrency ad ban on the popular social media platform is to avoid using any of the forbidden terms. This is why some marketers have begun to strategically abbreviate the word “cryptocurrency” to “c-currency” – and other similar variations.

Some users have already taken to Reddit to notify fellow crypto-enthusiasts of this new shifty tactic.

Read the full article and learn more about Deceptive Advertising and 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!

Facebook could theoretically owe the FTC $7.1 trillion for recent data scandals

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 20 May 2018 16:02:06 +0000

Facebook could theoretically owe the FTC $7.1 trillion for recent data scandals

By Rachel Kaser

Facebook might soon have a bigger adversary: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which could put Facebook on the hook for more money than even its redoubtable coffers could supply.

The FC has since confirmed that it’s conducting a “non-public investigation into these practices.” According to the FTC’s website, the maximum civil penalty amount it can charge for a violation this year is $41,484.

The Washington Post estimated, with the number of American users who may have had their data scraped (which would be all of them), and the number of users who potentially had their information compromised by Cambridge Analytica — the maximum amount of money the FTC could conceivably fine Facebook would be roughly $7.1 trillion.

Read the full article and learn more about Data Privacy 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!

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!

Study: Just 25% of Instagram influencers are compliant with FTC rules

Allyn Cutts — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 12:11:26 +0000

Study: Just 25% of Instagram influencers are compliant with FTC rules

By Robert Williams

While 71.5% of Instagram influencers attempted to disclose their relationships with sponsors, only 25% did so in a way that complies with guidelines from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, according to a study by Inkifi shared with Mobile Marketer.

Health and fitness influencers were the worst at posting sponsorship notices, with only 60% attempting to disclose and just 16% abiding by FTC guidelines. Fashion and beauty influencers were found to be the best at disclosing with 77% attempting to do so and 33% following FTC rules.

Inkifi analyzed the accounts of 800 social influencers' Instagram accounts from the U.S., U.K. and Canada. All the analyzed accounts had audiences in at least two of the three countries, meaning the account holder must abide by both countries' laws. By not complying with the guidelines, influencers and the brands they work with could face account shutdowns or potential legal action.

Read full article and learn about Social Media 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.

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!

LinkedIn Updates Its Terms Of Service In Preparation For GDPR

Allyn Cutts — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 01:08:08 +0000

LinkedIn Updates Its Terms Of Service In Preparation For GDPR

By George Carey-Simos

LinkedIn is making certain it will be ready for GDPR when it’s enforced this May, by making several adjustments to its Terms of Service.

If you haven’t been living under a rock in the last few months, you will know at least something about GDPR and its impending enforcement this May. In case you don’t, GDPR is short for General Data Protection Regulation, and it’s a new European data protection law that many people are freaking out about. If you don’t happen to know anything about it, it’s probably best you find out, as it will most likely affect any digital marketing work you do in Europe.

In any case, LinkedIn wants to be prepared for GDPR’s enforcement in a few months, so it’s updating its Terms of Service to make sure it doesn’t fall foul of the regulation. The Terms include its User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Professional Community Policies, and are getting an update that will be effective May 8, 2018.

Read full article and learn more about Terms Of Service 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!

Avoid These Gaffes in Your Advertising

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 16:40:04 +0000

Avoid These Gaffes in Your Advertising

By Randy Hutchinson

Lesley Fair, an attorney with the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, wrote an article for a BBB publication describing five key advertising principles companies should keep in mind. They are summarized here.

1. Evaluate ad claims from the consumer’s point of view. Claims may be expressed or implied, but what matters is the net impression left with consumers. Ad copy, visuals, sounds, testimonials, and even what isn’t said are all elements that contribute to a consumer’s takeaway from an ad. Suppose a car that gets 10 miles per gallon is advertised as getting 30 miles per gallon. That would be expressly deceptive. An ad referring to the car as the “Miser” and showing it passing gas station after gas station would imply it’s fuel efficient, also deceptive.

2. Have sound science to back up objective product claims.Companies must have competent and reliable scientific evidence for any health, safety, or product efficacy claims. FTC rules define what constitutes acceptable evidence and what may be overreach. For example, when referring to a cold medicine, there’s a big difference in the level of proof needed to claim it “reduces the severity” of a cold versus “prevents” it.

Read full article and learn more about Deceptive 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!