Word is out and the jury has spoken. Bloggers who are paid to blog posts or review a product or service will have to disclose the paid posts. You can read it more below since I have blockquote the article. The article is taken from The Straits Times.

SAN FRANCISCO – US FEDERAL Trade Commission guideline updates approved Monday require bloggers to reveal freebies or pay related to online commentary or face hefty fines.

FTC officials addressed online reviews by bloggers in the first revisions to Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising since 1980.

‘The post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement,’ FTC Secretary Donald Clark said in an 81-page notice of revised guidelines.

‘Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.’ The FTC listed examples to clarify how ‘material connections’ that can include payments or free products must be disclosed by bloggers or ‘other word-of-mouth marketers’ that endorse products.

‘The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement,’ Clark wrote.

Fines for violators of the rules can reportedly be as much as US$11,000 (S$15,620). — AFP

Hmm.. But from what I read in the article its only for San Francisco and those posts that fell under that jurisdiction. Since I’m a Singaporean, I’m not really sure if my blog falls into that law. Might as well check with my sponsors.

Anyway, this whole site is covered by a site disclosure policy under the ADVERTISER READ ME . Read that if you are not sure of what this website does.

Be Sociable, Share!

•