Skip to main content

The Federal Trade Commission will host a one-day public workshop on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 to consider the need for new guidance concerning advertising and privacy disclosures in today’s online and mobile environments. The workshop will address disclosure challenges that have emerged since the FTC first issued its online advertising disclosure guidance, “Dot Com Disclosures,” 12 years ago, including making clear and conspicuous disclosures in social media and mobile marketing. The workshop also will address mobile privacy disclosures and how they can be short, effective, and accessible to consumers on small screens.

The workshop will be from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, at the FTC Conference Center, 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.  It is free and open to the public. The event will be webcast, and pre-registration is not required.  

The workshop discussion will explore best practices for advertising and privacy disclosures. It will be used by Commission staff to update the Dot Com Disclosures guidance so that it better illustrates how businesses can provide clear and conspicuous disclosures in the current online and mobile world. Any revisions will be consistent with the goals of the original guidelines and will continue to emphasize that consumer protection laws apply equally to online and mobile marketers, and to other media. The FTC began seeking input for revising Dot Com Disclosures last year. 

This is the final agenda for the workshop:

Advertising and Privacy Disclosures in a Digital World

8:30 am Registration 
9:00 amWelcome & Opening Remarks
Commissioner Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Federal Trade Commission
9:15 amPresentation on Usability Research
Jennifer King, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Berkeley School of Information
9:30 am

Panel 1: Universal and Cross-Platform Advertising Disclosures 

Moderator
Michael Ostheimer, Staff Attorney, FTC Division of Advertising Practices 

Panelists
Steve DelBianco, Executive Director, NetChoice 
Linda Goldstein, Chair, Legal & Government Affairs Committee, Promotion Marketing Association 
Sally Greenberg, Executive Director, National Consumers League
Jennifer King, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Berkeley School of Information 
Paul L. Singer, Assistant Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division, Office of the Texas Attorney General 
Svetlana N. Walker, Corporate Counsel, Advertising Division, The Clorox Company

11:00 amBreak
11:15 am

Panel 2: Social Media Advertising Disclosures 

Moderator 
Richard Cleland, Assistant Director, FTC Division of Advertising Practices

Panelists
Susan Cooper, Lead Advertising and Product Counsel, Facebook, Inc. 
Jim Dudukovich, Member, Legal Affairs Committee, Word of Mouth Marketing Association
Malcolm Faulds, Senior Vice President of Marketing, BzzAgent, Inc. 
Stacey Ferguson, Blogger and Chief Curator, Blogalicious Community and Conferences
Susan Shook, Associate General Counsel-Associate Director, The Procter & Gamble Company 
Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen

12:30 pmLunch Break
1:30 pm

Panel 3: Mobile Advertising Disclosures 

Moderator 
Patricia Poss, Chief, Mobile Technology Unit, FTC Division of Financial Practices 

Panelists 
Anna Bager, Vice President and General Manager, Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, Interactive Advertising Bureau 
Michelle De Mooy, Senior Associate for National Priorities, Consumer Action 
Jim Halpert, General Counsel, Internet Commerce Coalition
Mark J. Odegard, Senior Corporate Counsel, Legal Department, Best Buy Co., Inc. 
David Schellhase, General Counsel, Groupon, Inc. 
Paul L. Singer, Assistant Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division, Office of the Texas Attorney General 
Sheryl Ann Yamuder, Director, Marketing and Advertising Counsel, Dunkin' Brands, Inc.

2:45 pmBreak
3:00 pm

Panel 4: Mobile Privacy Disclosures 

App Download Overview
Manas Mohapatra, Staff Attorney, Mobile Technology Unit, FTC Division of Financial Practices 
Andrew Schlossberg, Honors Paralegal, Mobile Technology Unit, FTC Division of Financial Practices

Moderator 
Ryan Mehm, Staff Attorney, FTC Division of Privacy and Identity Protection

Panelists 
Jim Brock, Founder, PrivacyChoice 
Lorrie Faith Cranor, Associate Professor of Computer Science and of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University 
Pam Dixon, Executive Director, World Privacy Forum 
Sara Kloek, Director of Outreach, Association for Competitive Technology
Kevin Trilli, Vice President, Product, TRUSTe 
Ilana Westerman, Principal, Create with Context, Inc.

4:30 pmClosing Remarks
Mary K. Engle, Associate Director, FTC Division of Advertising Practices

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online Complaint Assistant or call
1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.  Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

(Dot Com Media Advisory)

Contact Information

MEDIA CONTACT:

Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2180

 

STAFF CONTACT:

Ella Krainsky and Michael Ostheimer
Bureau of Consumer Protection
202-326-2053, 202-326-2699