Consumer Watchdog Warns Action Against Undisclosed Paid-For Promotions
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is gearing for a major crack down on what it calls "deceptive" social media sites that carry undisclosed paid-for promotions. They will be taking "targeted" action to ensure compliance using newly "bolstered" digital expertise.
In a statement, the OFT said, "Online promotional activity, just like any other promotional activity, must clearly identify when promotions and editorial comment have been paid for, so that consumers are not misled." The consumer watchdog organisation also wants comments about services and products on website blogs and microblogs such as Twitter to also disclose paid-for promotions.
Senior Director of OFT's Consumer Group, Heather Clayton, further commented, "The integrity of information published online is crucial so that people can make informed decisions on how to spend their money. We expect online advertising and marketing campaigns to be transparent so consumers can clearly tell when blogs, posts and microblogs have been published in return for payment or payment in kind... We expect this to include promotions for products and services as well as editorial content."