FTC Workshop on Disclosures Used in Advertising

The Federal Trade Commission will hold a 9/15 workshop to examine the testing and evaluation of disclosures that companies make to consumers about advertising claims, privacy practices, and other information. The “Putting Disclosures to the Test” workshop is focused on encouraging and improving the evaluation and testing of disclosures by industry, academics, and the FTC. The agency says that areas where disclosures play a key role in consumer protection are:

• disclosures in advertising  designed to prevent ads from being deceptive
• disclosures in specific industries designed to prevent deceptive claims

The workshop will explore how to test a disclosure’s effectiveness to ensure consumers notice them, understand them, and can use them in their decision-making. Public comments are also encouraged and can be filed online, and the comment period will remain open until 11/2.