FTC | Internet Marketing Blog

FTC: Google search bias is a part of innovation

Has Google altered its algorithm to favor its own properties in vertical search results?

Numerous publishers which now find themselves competing with the search engine they rely on for valuable traffic have accused Google of doing just that. Some in the industry have even petitioned antitrust regulators to look into the matter.

by Patricio Robles 04 January 2013 12:30pm 1 comment

Is the Instagram backlash a backlash against native advertising?

Instagram is changing. The popular mobile photo sharing service's rapid rise and $1bn acquisition by Facebook is the stuff of startup legends, but Instagram's story is still being written.

Today, the new path the company is charting has it fighting strong headwinds as users take issue with some of its plans.

by Patricio Robles 19 December 2012 15:53pm 4 comments

Microsoft warns consumers: don't get Scroogled

Many of the millions of consumers shopping this holiday season will turn to the world's most popular search engine, Google, in search of the perfect gift at the perfect price.

But Microsoft has a message for those consumers: be careful, you might get Scroogled.

by Patricio Robles 29 November 2012 16:24pm 3 comments

US likely to pursue antitrust case against Google: report

In 1998, the United States Department of Justice and 20 states filed a lawsuit against Microsoft alleging that the software giant abused a monopoly position in the market to dominate the market for web browsers.

The stakes were high. If it lost, Microsoft could have been forced to break itself into two parts. And even though it eventually settled under more favorable terms, the case against Microsoft is arguably the defining moment in the company's history.

by Patricio Robles 15 October 2012 13:36pm 1 comment

15% of social media reviews will be fake by 2014: report

The Beatles once sang, "All you need is love" and thanks to the rise of social media, it's not just humans looking for it. Brands, once largely relegated to communicating with consumers through one-way mediums like television and radio, have flocked to services like Facebook and Twitter in search of long-term relationships.

If the millions of 'Likes' and followers some of them have attracted are any indication, social media could be the foundation of a happy marriage between brands and consumers. But under the surface, this relationship may not be as solid as it appears.

According to Gartner, brands are increasingly turning to paying for positive reviews, 'Likes' and followers on popular social networking sites and by 2014, the research firm estimates that over one in ten of these will be fake.

by Patricio Robles 18 September 2012 15:01pm 5 comments

FTC clears Facebook's Instagram acquisition

It may not be the $1bn deal it was when it was announced in April, but Facebook's acquisition of popular mobile photo sharing service Instagram is a done deal.

Last week, the UK's Office Of Fair Trading gave the nod to the purchase and yesterday, the last regulator standing, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC), cleared the deal too.

by Patricio Robles 23 August 2012 17:28pm 0 comments

FTC seeks to expand restrictions on data collection from children

For more than a decade, companies in the United States operating websites that collect data from children have been required to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

At the time COPPA was implemented, the internet ecosystem was far less mature, and the law didn't cover all of the parties that today frequently collect data from children. So yesterday, the FTC published a proposal (PDF) with the intent of modifying COPPA to ensure that parties not currently governed by COPPA's rules are covered.

by Patricio Robles 02 August 2012 17:13pm 0 comments

Do Not Track gains support, but will it really work?

Today, the administration of US President Barack Obama announced a blueprint for a "Privacy Bill of Rights."

The goal: "improve consumers’ privacy protections" and "give users more control over how their personal information is used on the Internet", all the while maintaining the internet's status as an "engine for innovation and economic growth."

To achieve that goal, the president has enlisted the help of some of the internet's biggest names, including Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL.

by Patricio Robles 23 February 2012 19:37pm 0 comments

Can Google walk a mile in Microsoft's shoes?

Google and Microsoft are long-standing rivals. Microsoft, of course, has played the role of the old, stodgy tech stalwart, while Google has played the role of the innovative, quirky upstart.

But Google and Microsoft may soon have a lot more common. That's because the Federal Trade Commission, spurred on in part by complaints from Google's own advertisers, is reportedly opening a wide antitrust probe that will determine if the search giant is abusing its search dominance in an illegal manner.

by Patricio Robles 24 June 2011 13:00pm 4 comments

FTC seeks input on Dot Com Disclosures revision

In May 2000, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a number of guidelines designed to help companies stay in compliance with numerous consumer protection laws as they increased their presence on the then-nascent commercial internet.

The FTC's Dot Com Disclosures (PDF) document largely explained how existing laws around advertising and disclosure applied in the context of the internet, and provided some specific examples.

by Patricio Robles 31 May 2011 16:06pm 0 comments