Professional bloggers are in an uproar today after the FTC decided to impose new rules to govern endorsing products on the Internet. Bloggers "who review products must disclose whether they have any material connection to advertisers," such as payments or free products that the companies might be giving them. The new rules take effect December 1, 2009, and the penalty for violators is an $11,000 fine.
As real estate professionals, we understand the practicality of full disclosure, but bloggers are complaining that the new rules are "too vague and far-reaching." Dana Loesch is of the opinion that "big government is trying to control all web sites under the guise of protecting consumers." Hot Air's Ed Morrissey inquires, "Where does the FTC's jurisdiction end?" and BuzzMachine's Jeff Jarvis says that the new rules are based on the "myth that government can and should sanitize the Internet for our protection." Ron Hogan of GalleyCat notes that "the rules for bloggers don't apply to the traditional media," and Harry McCracken says on Technologizer that "it's not even clear who qualifies as a blogger under the FTC's regulations."
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