| Movie Finder |
H onesty. What a concept. Only in this crazy world would people be hailing a new list of rules announced by the Federal Trade Commission to require bloggers to tell the truth. Why is that something that had to be regulated? Aren't people inherently truthful? Stop laughing.
In particular, the FTC is concerned about bloggers who endorse a product and fail to mention that they have been paid to make the endorsement. The new rules also apply to celebrity endorsements.
"Celebrities have a duty to disclose their relationships with advertisers when making endorsements outside the context of traditional ads, such as on talk shows or in social media," according to an FTC statement.
The new rules, which take effect Dec. 1, are intended to educate bloggers, rather than punish them, so there are no penalties. However, they could lead to cease-and-desist orders and stiff fines for violating those orders.
| Movie Finder |
I realize this grates at those of you who hate government intrusion of any kind, but I don't think the FTC went far enough.
In a perfect world, I would be appointed Federal Trade Commission czar, and I immediately would impose stringent rules for online movie reviewers. Jail time would be mandatory. It would do no good to fine these people, or garnish their wages, because most of them don't earn a paycheck. They sit in their basement and pretend to be professional movie reviewers.
Here is what full-disclosure movie ads would look like if I were in charge of the FTC:
"A sure-fire Oscar contender!"