Government Will Regulate Bloggers

(Oct. 6) -- Bloggers are blasting the Federal Trade Commission's decision to impose new rules governing product endorsements on the Web. The FTC has announced that bloggers who review products must disclose whether they have any "material connection" to advertisers. That includes any payments or free products they get from companies. The rules -- which also cover prominent users of Twitter and Facebook -- take effect Dec. 1 and the penalty for violators is an $11,000 fine.Skip over this content While most bloggers agree connections between endorsements and advertisers should be revealed, they complain that the FTC's new rules are too vague and far-reaching. Dana Loesch charges that ''big government" is trying to control all web sites under the guise of protecting consumers. Where does the FTC's jurisdiction end?" asks Hot Air's Ed Morrissey. BuzzMachine's Jeff Jarvis says the regulations are based on the ''myth'' that government can and should sanitize the Internet for our protection. Ron Hogan of GalleyCat is one of many who note that the rules for bloggers don't apply to the traditional media. To make matters more confusing, Harry McCracken says on Technologizer it's not even clear who qualifies as a blogger under the FTC's regulations.