Opinion: Google’s store sales measurement data deal with Mastercard not ‘deceptive’
Bloomberg report zeroes-in on lack of consumer disclosure by the credit card issuer.
Topic: Consumer protection
Antitrust, data and consumer privacy will take center stage at new FTC hearings
Will they lead to a new Google investigation, more Facebook scrutiny?
Google steps up efforts to fight scams and fraud directed at SMBs
The company is filing new lawsuits, has developed tools and a stronger education program.
Reports: Fake reviews are a growing problem on Amazon, Google
Facebook is reportedly the source of some of the fake review solicitations.
Law firm that used contest to solicit Google reviews sees all but one disappear
Incentivizing reviews individually or 'in bulk' is a bad idea.
Google begins enforcing certification process for event ticket resellers on AdWords
Ticket resellers are now included among the list of restricted advertisers on AdWords and must be certified by Google before they can advertise.
Missouri Attorney General initiates Google antitrust investigation
Focus is on consumer data collection practices and alleged "search bias."
Removal of hotel review reporting rape creates crisis of confidence for TripAdvisor content
The site had scrubbed first-person reviews and content about rape and sexual assault at a Mexican resort.
Google gradually limiting search ads on addiction treatment queries
Another side effect of the opioid epidemic: A marketing environment ripe for abuse.
UK local SEO firm Movette shut down by regulators for deceptive sales practices
Firm falsely implied it was affiliated with Google and signed SMBs up to recurring annual contracts worth from $250 to more than $300.
Privacy group files flawed complaint against Google Store Sales Measurement
EPIC gets the basic facts wrong about the data being used in Google program.
Why are payday loan ads still showing on Google after the ban?
A deep look at how the payday loan industry is able to keep advertising despite Google's policy changes.
Chinese scrutiny of Baidu ads after bogus cancer treatment causes death
Advertising regulation in China currently doesn't cover paid search.
Google Files Suit Against SEO Firm Accused Of Robocalling, Launches Complaint Center For Users
The company finally takes defensive action against illegal robocallers that prey on small businesses.
Yelp Starts Showing Evidence Of Review Fraud
Yelp now shows evidence of review fraud directly to their users, with screen shots and notes.
Despite Crackdowns, Tech Support Ads In Search Are Still Cause For Consumer Confusion
Just last month, six international tech support scam operators were ordered to pay more than $5.1 million as a result of charges filed by the Federal Trade Commission in 2012. The scammers typically posed as representatives of major technology companies, convinced consumers that their computers were loaded with viruses and got them to fork over […]
Yelp Turns Up The Heat: 285 Consumer Alerts Issued Over Fake Reviews
It’s been almost a year and a half since Yelp began issuing Consumer Alerts when a business on its site has been caught trying to get fake reviews; but after a cautious start, that program appears to be turning up the heat. According to an interview with CEO Jeremy Stoppelman in The Telegraph, Yelp has […]
The Test Begins: Do Google Shopping & Other Shopping Search Engines Give You The Best Deals?
It sounds pretty damning. Two recent surveys suggest that Google Shopping isn’t leading searchers to the best prices on products. But the surveys weren’t well documented, nor did they include competitors like Bing, Shopzilla, PriceGrabber and Nextag, which have similar issues. So, Search Engine Land will be running its own fully documented tests. Every few […]
Consumer Watchdog Says Google Shopping Costs Consumers, Complains To FTC
Consumer Watchdog has lodged a new complaint about Google’s “search monopoly” with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), this time saying Google Shopping results don’t pass the sniff test. The group calls the way the search engine displays its Product Listing ads “deceptive and unfair”, adding that Google Shopping’s paid listings are price gouging consumers. […]
SEO Companies Fined Over Fake Reviews
Several SEO companies have agreed to stop publishing fake online reviews, and will also pay penalties ranging from $2,500 to almost $100,000 as part of settlement announced today with the New York attorney general’s office. The AG’s year-long investigation ultimately caught 19 companies involved in writing and posting fake online reviews, including numerous small businesses. […]
Yelp Outs More Businesses With Another Batch Of Paid Review Alerts
Yelp’s battle against phony reviews and unacceptable tactics to earn reviews continues today with the company posting another batch of “Consumer Alert” messages on business profile pages. This is the second time Yelp has announced that some businesses will be outed for trying to game its system. Back in October, Yelp put a message on […]
Revealed: The 17 Other Search Engines The FTC Warned Over Paid Ad Disclosures
In June, the US Federal Trade Commission warned seven “general purpose” search engines — including Google, Bing and Yahoo — about the need to ensure they were properly disclosing paid ads. But 17 other “specialty” search engines were also warned. Which ones? The FTC wouldn’t say. Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request, Search […]
FTC Updates Search Engine Ad Disclosure Guidelines After “Decline In Compliance”
In 2002, the US Federal Trade Commission issued landmark guidelines to search engines, to ensure they were make a clear distinction between their paid and unpaid listings. Now, the FTC has updated those guidelines, saying it has seen a “decline in compliance” since they were first issued. The FTC posted the news today on its […]
State AGs: Google Still Allows & Profits From Illegal Drug Ads
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is accusing Google of continuing to give consumers access to illegal and counterfeit goods — including drugs — in its search results, and is allowing sites that deal in such goods to advertise with Google. NAAG has asked Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page to discuss its concerns […]
Bad Merchant? Google May Drop Your Rankings Later This Year
Had a bad experience purchasing from an online merchant? Google says it wants to protect searchers from that, and it may crackdown later this year with changes intended to prevent bad merchants from ranking well. The news came during the “How to Rank Better in Google & Bing” session that I moderated yesterday at the […]
Bing Shopping As A Poster Child For Consumer Confusion About Ads
Bing has been escalating its attacks against Google Shopping over consumer transparency since launching its “Scroogled” campaign just over a week ago. Well, consumer confusion is a serious issue. Indeed, Bing itself can be used to illustrate some of the problems consumers face at both Bing and Google. The day after Bing’s campaign launched, I […]
Bing Attacks Google Shopping With “Scroogled” Campaign, Forgets It’s Guilty Of Same Problems
Bing is attacking Google over its shift to a pay-for-play shopping search engine through a new “Scroogled” site, pledging that Bing has “honest search.” Great campaign, if it were true. It’s not. Bing itself does the same things it accuses Google of. It’s also another indictment of how little the FTC is doing to protect […]
After Sting Operation, Yelp Outs 8 Businesses That It Caught Trying To Buy Reviews
Yelp is now showing “Consumer Alert” warning messages on the profile pages of eight businesses that it says it caught in a sting operation trying to buy reviews. As the New York Times reports, Yelp conducted a sting operation in which one of its employees pretended to be an “Elite” reviewer and responded to review […]
SEMPO: FTC Is “Strongly Considering” Review Of How Search Engines Disclose Paid Listings
According to SEMPO, a search marketing industry association, the US Federal Trade Commission is “strongly considering” a review of how well — or poorly — search engines are compliance with its 2002 guidelines on disclosing paid listings to consumers. The news comes in a letter that SEMPO — the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization — sent to […]
US Senate Committee Asks Google, Yahoo & Bing To Fight Bait-And-Switch Moving Scams
The US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation has written to the major US search engines of Google, Yahoo and Bing asking them to examine how some moving services are using “bait-and-switch” tactics on customers who find them through search results. Moving Ripoffs Each search engine received the same letter, covering how a committee […]
A Letter To The FTC Regarding Search Engine Disclosure Compliance
In 2002, the US Federal Trade Commission created guidelines on how search engines should disclose paid placement and paid inclusion listings. It’s become clear to me over the past two weeks that the search engine industry has either largely forgotten these guidelines or is ignoring them. That’s why I’ve written a letter today to the […]
Google’s Free Trusted Stores Seal Program Opens To All U.S. Merchants
Google has been testing its Trusted Stores seal program since October of 2011, and now the program is opening up to all U.S. merchants with a self-service sign-up interface. Merchants who participate will have a “Trusted Stores” badge — which opens to provide information about the company’s shipping and customer service record — appear beside their […]
Google Testing “Trusted Stores” Badges On Search AdWords
Google is testing the effect of adding “Trusted Stores” badges to qualifying advertisers’ search ads, as it considers deploying the badges more widely. The experiment was first reported by Internet Retailer. A Google spokesperson, asked to comment on the test, sent a statement that said: “As part of the Google Trusted Stores program, we’re currently […]
Australian Court Finds Google Responsible For Misleading Ads Placed By Its Advertisers
A Federal Appeals Court in Australia has found Google responsible for misleading ads that displayed when users searched for certain terms and received ads from competitors who had bid on those terms. The ruling, though it only applies in Australia, is important because one of Google’s most central beliefs — which has come up in […]
BBC Report: Google Admits Accepting Illegal AdWords In The UK
Ads for illegal Olympic ticket resellers, ads for cannabis, and ads for fake identification cards and UK passports. All illegal, but all could, up until recently, be found on Google.co.uk, according to a British Broadcasting Company (BBC) investigation publicized today. Though Google shut down the illegal advertisers when the matter was brought to the company’s attention […]
Google Working With U.S. Treasury Department To Shut Down AdWords Mortgage Scams
We know the illegal online pharmacies used to love the Google. Apparently, the mortgage scammers have found AdWords to be quite useful in their nefarious schemes, as well. The Treasury Department’s Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) announced this week that it’s worked with Google to shut down […]
Despite New Rules, Google Product Search Merchants Not Providing Accurate Tax & Shipping Costs
Shoppers using Google Product Search are sometimes being misled by incorrect tax and shipping information in search results. And that’s despite Google’s recent crackdown on merchants who either omit tax and shipping details, or list false/incorrect data in their product feeds. Back on March 14th, Google announced new rules for Product Search merchants. Among those […]
Google Gets Into Ratings Game With Trusted Stores
Google is launching an e-commerce certification program this morning called “Trusted Stores.” The company says that it’s trying to give consumers greater confidence to buy products online. In very limited beta right now, qualifying e-commerce stores will be able to display a “Google Trusted Store” badge. What’s more interesting is that Google is backing its […]
Australian Watchdog Loses Case Against Google Over Deceptive Ads
ACCC loses misleading ads case against Google via the Sydney Morning Herald reports the ACCC, Australian Competition and Consumers Commission, has lost their has in an Australian Federal court against Google. The watchdog group sued Google over deceptive ads back in 2007. The federal judge, Justice John Nicholas dismissed the case saying the Google was […]
Ripoff Report Not Banned, But Removes Itself From Google’s Index
Ripoff Report is completely gone from Google’s index and Google says it’s been done at Ripoff Report’s own request. But, the question now is whether that request was made on purpose or an accident. Update: As our postscript below explains, Ripoff Report is now back in Google’s index. As the image above shows, a site:ripoffreport.com […]