--- title: Bloggers in handcuffs? U.S. FTC proposes legislation on product testimonials image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604930570-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e201156fda88da970b-200wi.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2009/04/bloggers-in-handcuffs-us-ftc-proposes-legislation-on-product-testimonials.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Bloggers in handcuffs? U.S. FTC proposes legislation on product testimonials April 4th, 2009 2 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604930570-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e201156fda88da970b-200wi.jpg?width=200&height=40&name=6a00d83451f23a69e201156fda88da970b-200wi.jpg) The U.S. [Federal Trade Commission](http://www.ftc.gov/) (FTC) is working on regulations covering blogs and social networking sites. [![Ftc](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604930570-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e201156fda88da970b-200wi.jpg)](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e201156fda88da970b-pi) The revised guidelines on so-called "endorsements and testimonials" that the FTC is looking at could hold companies liable for false claims and statements made by bloggers and people who post reviews and comments on social networking sites, when the person commenting received product samples. And the people doing the posting may also be held liable. **Bloggers in handcuffs** While I am not a lawyer and I have not read through the proposed wording, stories out there such as this one from [Iain Thomson of VNU](http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2239850/ftc-plans-regulations-online) suggest this is an important potential worry for people who talk about products that have been provided to them by a company. [![Police_handcuffs](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604930585-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e201156fda8bb9970b-200wi.jpg)](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e201156fda8bb9970b-pi) Photo credit: Wikimedia If you receive a product and write a testimonial about the experience online, you can be subjected to legal consequence on grounds of making false representations online. **Review copies of books** Here is a situation that comes up all the time. I give a free copy of one of my books to someone I meet at a conference. The person writes a review on Amazon or blogs about the book. What happens if a statement in the review is "unsubstantiated?" Will that person be held liable? Will I? Will my publisher? Yikes!! So yes, I admit this book example may be seen as a bit extreme. But does the price of the item matter? *Is a twenty-dollar book different than a thousand-dollar digital camera?* Lots of bloggers take free product in exchange for talking up a company. I've seen some very elaborate programs such as those by orchestrated by Panasonic, Nikon, and Microsoft that put expensive equipment into the hands of influential bloggers. For example, some bloggers received gear from [Panasonic](http://www.cespanasonic.com/items/view/1208) such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 camera and a Panasonic SDR-SW20S Waterproof Camcorder. Soon after, glowing blog posts and 5-star reviews on Amazon appeared. In the reviews I saw, the reviewer did disclose that they received the free gear. While I have not accepted any expensive equipment myself, I get a handful of free books sent to me by publishers every single week. I've been an advocate of [full disclosure](https://www.webinknow.com/2008/09/learning-from-t.html) when doing a review on an expensive product that you have received for free. But now that I think about it, I do not disclose that I received a book for free if I write about the book. Should I? Misleading social media seeding techniques have become so widespread that the [European Union enacted Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations](https://www.webinknow.com/2008/04/world-wide-rave.html) to protect the public from the most deceitful activities. So yes, there is a problem. While I do think that there is a [social media ethics and disclosure](https://www.webinknow.com/2008/09/learning-from-t.html) issue here, do we really need to haul bloggers away in handcuffs? What do you think? [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. 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