UK Targets Twitter and Blog Endorsements

krou writes "The UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is cracking down on 'Twitter users and bloggers using their online presence to endorse products and companies without clearly stating their relationship with the brand.' They described such endorsements, including 'comments about services and products on blogs and microblogs such as Twitter,' as 'deceptive' under fair trading rules. While the US Federal Trade Commission already requires such endorsements to be labelled with 'ad' or 'spon,' the UK doesn't have any such requirement. In relation to this, the OFT has launched an investigation into Handpicked Media, because the OFT is 'insisting that it must clearly state when promotional comments have been paid for.'"

UK do have rules...

[oliverthered]

There are rules in the UK and even the advertising standards agency and also trade descriptions legalisation.
And they do deal with internet adverts just as much as any other kind.
If a 'false claim' is made then that a breach of advertising rules.
But if the claims are true, does it matter?

Also if it appears on the companies own site or publication it's not an advertisement. (can't remember what the ASA/Traiding stands calls that), but I think it comes under the OFT.

So if it's an email, or in twitter or anywhere else and the claims are false or missleading or otherwise inapproprate it's handled by the ASA or trading standards.

I've reported a few people who for instance, claim to be able to predict the future.

That was put under the same trade descriptions laws a few years back, though I think that religions somehow managed to have a loop-hole for trade descriptions, false advertising and discrimination. MP's and political parties also have some or total freedom from the law because the UK has something called a parliamentary monarchy. That means that parliament acts as the monarch, royalty and can pretty much do anything they like. (though this is mainly limited to within the buildings of the house of commons, they can do anything they want with the law, including removing civil liberties granted in the past, like the right to arms so that a corrupt government can be overthrown).

This is why they didn't have to obey the smoking ban, they are royalty, chosen by God. (or whatever Royalty is supposed to be, that's the old English tradition) outside all laws except the law of God that they then bestow upon the people.

Re:I you belive some random dude

[Animats]

Pretty much every commercial is a random dude saying more or less 'buy this' and millions are likely to. All because some random dude told them 'buy this.

Recommendations mean much more when they come from people who actually bought the product. Amazon and eBay have that property, because the recommendation system and the payment system are connected. Yelp, Citysearch, and their imitators do not. If recommendations are made to work, it will be by someone in the payment chain.

Re:Ethics

[bit01]

I don't know if I would go so far as to call it a matter of "ethics."

Fraudulently pretending to be an objective third party for financial gain. That's ethics alright and the government should come down on them like a ton of bricks. Such people should be in jail if they make a habit of it.

Think it doesn't matter? If it didn't agents would be happy to announce their affiliation. For some strange reason they don't. Why would that be I wonder?

Apart from anything else company legal structures require accountability because they act as proxies for real people and when company agents can be anonymous there is no accountability.

But less government invading the lives of the private sector the better.

In general true but not when there is this amount of fraud going on.

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How many million man hours has the advertising industry cost today?

PerfHappyMum

[fremsley471]

For those dopey slashdotters like me who assumed most astroturfing is the PR dept of a major firm coming back from their Friday lunch, follow the link in the summary. Took a random path through handpickedmedia's website and then read the twitter posts of PerfHappyMum. Seems just like every other life coach (what the hell are THEY?);
children asleep two hours early!
soon followed by
Just leaving the preview screening of "tangled", most refreshing cartoon since Shreck, loved it

"She" is in the parenting "channel" of handpicked's website but on Twitter there is no indication it's paid for. Assume that a significant amount of the conversation is with other handpickedmedia's 'channels'? If they can investigate the volume going up in the adverts (what did happen to that Ofcom report? Anyone know?) then this is an organisation of cynicism that has shocked me.