In August 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a staff report that evaluates the consumer disclosures made by a number of popular mobile shopping applications and makes recommendations to the providers and users of those apps.1 The FTC staff did not address or find any fault with app platforms, like Google Play or Apple’s App Store, with respect to the consumer disclosures of those apps. This report follows the FTC staff’s March 2013 mobile payment report that recommended mobile payment providers convey clear policies regarding fraudulent and unauthorized charges, encouraged all stakeholders to raise consumer awareness about mobile payment security, and stressed the applicability of its general privacy recommendations to companies in the mobile payment marketplace.2
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FTC Issues New Guidance for Disclosures in Online Advertising


Mobile and social media marketing are on the rise.1 With that in mind, the Federal Trade Commission issued new guidance for advertisers on how to make effective mobile and other online disclosures. Entitled “.com Disclosures: How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising,”2 the guidance provides an update to the FTC’s 2000 publication on the same topic. The revised guidance is intended to address the expanding use of smart phones and social media marketing, where small screens and character limitations pose challenges for companies making advertising claims.3 Although the guidance itself is not law, the FTC cautions that these disclosures are required by the laws it enforces.
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