Slashdot Mirror
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.'"
Good luck enforcing that, I wish you the best.
on the internet that says "buy this" you should be smarter. If some random dude on the street said "buy this" would you?
It's a shame, if not altogether ironic that the government feels the need to legislate ethics.
I also wonder whether users would be obliged to indicate if they were a competitor of a company, before slagging it off online.
Do you or your partner snore? - Visit www.snoring.com.au
I miss the more innocent age of the internet before there was astroturfing.
These days, I more or less assume any favorable opinion about a commercial product is astroturfed, unless I have compelling evidence to the contrary.
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.
thank God the internet isn't a human right.
If Anyone says they like anything or uses anything on a facebook or twitter account, you can be pretty sure they aren't doing it for free. And if they insist they don't work for the company, then they definitely do. And if they say something is crap, then they probably work for a competitor, altho that isn't always the case. For instance Bell Canada sucks, but they have no competitors.
Mean what you say...say what you mean.
Why not just use
$$$: teh awesome
Or, of course, for the UK:
£££: teh awesome
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.
Ah i see who you are wittering on about now TWATTER that conglomeration of TOSSERS the need to be TERMINATED with hostility
mind i think 99.99999% of the mods on here must be TWATTER fans there are striking similarites
rotate on a sharp one wont ya'll
suddenoutbreakofcommonsense
This isn't too hard. Assume that everything is crap and everybody selling something is lying to you.
Let the burden of proof rest upon reputations proving otherwise. There are writers/organizations who work hard to achieve such reputations, so take advantage of their labor. Incrementally learn to trust sources or gain that trust from other people whom you trust who have identified those sources (old friends are good to have).
Teach your children not to believe strangers trying to sell them something, no matter if they're standing on a soap box or speaking from an electronic box in the house. 'Voices of authority' that are self-interested are nearly always wrong.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)