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Comment by mark_l_watson | Hacker News Reader

In the USA, it is now law that bloggers have to mention any gifts of products, books, licenses, etc. that might influence blog posts.

I think this is good!

I am an author, and I get comped a lot of books, and some software products. It just feels right to say something like, for example, "thanks to publisher Z for sending me a revue copy of book B" when talking about book B. If I get comped something that I don't like, then I won't talk about it.

Paid posters on Reddit, etc., are more insidious because you just have to guess if they might be paid by a company or government to push desired hype.

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not actually a "law" -- more of an F.T.C. regulation

"The Guides are administrative interpretations of the law intended to help advertisers comply with the Federal Trade Commission Act; they are not binding law themselves." -- http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

FTC regs are backed by truth-in-advertising law.

Can you point me in the direction of more info about that law? Maybe I'm just choosing the wrong search terms, but I couldn't find any concrete info.

Try "16 CFR 255"

http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides...

Relevant "law":

   § 255.5   Disclosure of material connections.

   When there exists a connection between the endorser and
   the seller of the advertised product that might materially 
   affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement ( i.e.,
   the connection is not reasonably expected by the audience), 
   such connection must be fully disclosed.

Relevant example:

   Example 7:  A college student who has earned a reputation as
   a video game expert maintains a personal weblog or “blog” 
   where he posts entries about his gaming experiences.  Readers 
   of his blog frequently seek his opinions about video game 
   hardware and software.  As it has done in the past, the 
   manufacturer of a newly released video game system sends the 
   student a free copy of the system and asks him to write about 
   it on his blog.  He tests the new gaming system and writes a 
   favorable review. Because his review is disseminated via a 
   form of consumer-generated media in which his relationship to 
   the advertiser is not inherently obvious, readers are 
   unlikely to know that he has received the video game system 
   free of charge in exchange for his review of the product, and 
   given the value of the video game system, this fact likely 
   would materially affect the credibility they attach to his 
   endorsement.  Accordingly, the blogger should clearly and 
   conspicuously disclose that he received the gaming system 
   free of charge.  The manufacturer should advise him at the 
   time it provides the gaming system that this connection 
   should be disclosed, and it should have procedures in place 
   to try to monitor his postings for compliance.

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