Social Media – FTC Guardian

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

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!

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.

FTC Is Said to Be Considering Large Facebook Fines

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 13:44:15 +0000

FTC Is Said to Be Considering Large Facebook Fines

By Cecilia Kang

The Federal Trade Commission is in the advanced stages of its investigation into whether Facebook violated privacy rules and is expected to seek large fines from the company, according to two people familiar with the inquiry.

The five members of the commission met to discuss the investigation, according to the people, who would speak only on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is not public. The meeting is a sign that the investigation is far along, the people said, because the commissioners rarely meet in the early stages of an inquiry.

The investigation, which began in late March, is continuing, and the commissioners and staff have not reached a final conclusion, including how much the agency might seek in fines, the people said. Consumer-protection and enforcement staff members have provided updates on what they believe is evidence of privacy violations, but they have not submitted a final report.

The commissioners would vote on any recommendations from the staff, including whether to pursue fines or other penalties. They do not always approve staff recommendations.

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!

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.

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!

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!

Unilever threatens to pull online advertising from ‘toxic’ platforms

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 16:16:22 +0000

Unilever threatens to pull online advertising from ‘toxic’ platforms

By Dani Deahl

Consumer goods company Unilever is threatening to pull all advertising from online platforms that allow “toxic” online content, as reported by Reuters. According to a speech that is expected to be made today by Unilever’s chief marketing officer Keith Weed, the move will encompass platforms that “do not make a positive contribution to society.”Unilever is one of the world’s biggest online advertisers, and for it to pull spending from any platform would be a significant revenue blow. Last year, Unilever spent $9.4 billion on marketing, about a third of which was on digital advertising. “It is critical that our brands remain not only in a safe environment, but a suitable one,” Weed plans to say in his speech. “Fake news, racism, sexism, terrorists spreading messages of hate, toxic content directed at children … it is in the digital media industry’s interest to listen and act on this. Before viewers stop viewing, advertisers stop advertising and publishers stop publishing.”

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!

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!

Snapchat will now show you more info about the cool places your friends are visiting

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 14:38:44 +0000

Snapchat will now show you more info about the cool places your friends are visiting

By Kurt Wagner

Lots of people share their location with Snapchat when they take pictures or videos. Now Snapchat wants to share more info about that location — like how far away it is, or what kind of food served there — with other users on the app.

If users share their location along with a Snap — either by submitting it to a public Our Story or by adding a special venue filter — Snapchat will let others swipe up to see more info about that location. That could include maps, menus, hours of operation and customer reviews and ratings.

For now, though, these cards are just meant to share more info. Information about where users are spending their time is important to other ad companies like Facebook and Google, either because it helps with targeting ads or proving that the ones you’ve already seen actually led to a sale. If Snap wants to become a big-time ad business, having its own location data could help.

Read full article and learn more about Social Media and Privacy Policy 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!

Sarahah harvests your phone contacts for a feature that doesn’t exist yet

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 17 Sep 2017 17:13:20 +0000

Sarahah harvests your phone contacts for a feature that doesn’t exist yet

By Jacob Kastrenakes

Sarahah, the anonymous feedback app that’s been going viral for the past couple weeks, may not be as private as it sounds: it turns out, the app uploads users’ phone contacts to the company’s servers, seemingly for no good reason. The behavior was spotted by security analyst Zachary Julian and first reported by The Intercept.

Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq, the app’s founder, said that contact lists are being uploaded “for a planned ‘find your friends’ feature” that was “delayed due to a technical issue.” After The Intercept pointed out the behavior, he tweeted “the data request will be removed on next update” and that Sarahah’s servers don’t “currently host contacts.”

But users who do grant access to their contacts list probably expect it to add some sort of functionality to the app. And as of now, it doesn’t. There’s no friends list inside the app. And while there’s a search feature, you can’t look people up by phone number. Nor is there a section, like in Instagram, to show which of your contacts are already using the service.

Read full article and learn more about Privacy 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!

Meet the 15 Stars Whose (Undisclosed) #Spon Brought the FTC’s Wrath on Instagram

Allyn Cutts — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 16:20:55 +0000

Meet the 15 Stars Whose (Undisclosed) #Spon Brought the FTC's Wrath on Instagram

By Bettina Mangiaracina

Now that Fyre Festival co-founder Billy McFarland is charged with fraud, this is the perfect time to list off those top 15 influencers who promoted tickets to the disastrous event to their loyal followers, right?

According to a leaked Fyre pitch deck obtained by Vanity Fair, all of the stars who promoted the festival on their Instagram accounts did so without the standard FTC #ad mention. This led followers to believe that Fyre was a genuine event that the supermodels attended every year, not a paid celebrity endorsement.

Instead, fans who actually paid the $5,000–$250,000 price tag for the ticket and flew to the Bahamas for the event wound up on an empty, soggy ground with nothing but a bunch of vacant tents and a small table serving soft drinks and sandwiches.

It was because of Fyre Festival and its huge failure that the FTC and Instagram are now cracking down on celebrities that fail to mention a sponsored post. So here's our lineup of the 15 celebrities who promoted Fyre Festival but then failed to play by the FTC's rules.

Read full article and learn more about the FTC 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!