Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, CONSUMER PROTECTION NEWS: FTC to host consumer disclosures testing workshop, (May 24, 2016)
By Michael Menzhuber, J.D., LL.M.
A free public workshop to examine the testing and evaluation of disclosures that companies make to consumers about advertising claims, privacy practices, and other information will be hosted by the FTC on September 15, 2016, at the FTC’s Constitution Center in Washington, D.C., the agency announced today.
Among the areas where disclosures play a key role in consumer protection are:
disclosures in advertising designed to prevent ads from being deceptive;
privacy-related disclosures, including privacy policies and other mechanisms to inform consumers that they are being tracked; and
disclosures in specific industries designed to prevent deceptive claims (including jewelry, environmental claims, and fuel economy advertisements).
The FTC workshop will explore how to test the effectiveness of these disclosures to ensure that consumers notice them, understand them, and can use them in their decision-making process. The FTC is particularly interested in learning about the costs and benefits of disclosure testing methods in the digital age.
Presentation proposals for the event may be submitted to disclosuretesting@ftc.gov. More information on the proposal process is available on the workshop’s website.
Members of the public may also submit comments for the workshop online. The public comment period will remain open until November 2, 2016.
News: Advertising ConsumerProtection FederalTradeCommissionNews