US bloggers have been asked to disclose whether they’ve received payments for product reviews by the FTC, according to a report in the Huffington Post.

For the first time the Federal Trade Commission will require that online reviews are more accurate for consumers, in effect regulating blogging.

The FTC will require that writers on the Web clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. The commission also said advertisers featuring testimonials that claim dramatic results cannot hide behind disclaimers that the results aren’t typical.

The FTC has now approved guidelines that, while not binding in law, offer interpretations of the law to help advertisers comply with regulations.

Violating the rules, which take effect at the beginning of December, could result in lawsuits against online publishers by consumer groups or even rival companies of products being reviewed.

It is unclear whether the guidelines will apply to British blogs hosted on US server.

HuffPo adds that:

To placate such fears, Cleland said the FTC will more likely go after an advertiser instead of a blogger for violations. The exception would be a blogger who runs a “substantial” operation that violates FTC rules and already received a warning.

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Chris is a regular contributor to Liberal Conspiracy. He is an aspiring journalist and reports stories for LC.
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