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FTC Now Sets Sights on Data Brokers

Posted: 12 Nov 2012 05:10 AM PST

When the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) speaks, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee and self-styled "champion of consumer privacy," apparently listens. Two years ago, with the help and encouragement of the FTC, Rockefeller led passage of the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (colloquially known as "Rockefeller"), which banned the practice of "data pass" between online sellers and upsellers in which the latter could use the consumer's credit card number in another transaction without getting it again from the consumer. Now, again on cue from the FTC, he is setting his sights on the practices of a truly formidable target – the data brokerage industry, which is the nerve center of the new "Big Data" world of mass data collection and sharing on the Internet.

Last March, in its most recent privacy report, "Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change," the FTC, in an effort to broaden the scope and effectiveness of consumer privacy protection, recommended that Congress pass a law to provide "greater transparency for, and control over, the practices of information brokers." Noting that consumers never deal directly with data brokers and have little understanding of what they do, it suggested that Congress could model such legislation on a previously passed House bill which created a procedure for consumers to access and dispute personal data held by brokers, similar to what they can do with credit reporting agencies. In addition, the FTC called on data brokers to create a centralized website where consumers could learn who they are, how they collect and use their data for marketing purposes, and what access rights and choices they offer them.

Specifically citing the FTC recommendation and several reported data privacy and security lapses, last month Rockefeller launched a major investigation of the data brokerage industry, sending letters to nine of its most prominent members – Acxiom, Experian, Equifax, Transunion, Epsilon, Reed Elsevier (Lexis-Nexis), Datalogix, Rapleaf and Spokeo. The letters ask them to answer detailed interrogatories aimed at finding out:

  1. what data about consumers they collect
  2. how specific it is (i.e., to consumers, computers or devices)
  3. how they obtain it (including sources, contracts and amounts paid)
  4. who buys it (including customer names, contracts and amounts paid)
  5. how it's marketed, sold and used
  6. what notice, access, dispute and opt-out rights, if any, they offer consumers. Responses were due by Nov. 2

Because it is a small agency (albeit with enormous power), the FTC has developed new methods in recent years to increase its "bang for the buck" in Internet fraud enforcement. This has included joint "sting" operations with state attorneys general, working in concert with Visa and Master Card to curtail negative option marketing by tightening the vice they hold over credit card processors, and building chargeback-based cases against Internet marketers by first subpoenaing "back-end" merchant account records from their processors. Now, with Sen. Rockefeller once again on its side and on the march, the FTC also stands a good chance of achieving maximal compliance leverage in the area of consumer privacy protection by "going to the heart" of Big Data itself – the data brokers that, like the payment processors, control the toll gates and make it all happen.

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Blogging Credibility and How to Acquire It - DailyBlogTips

Blogging Credibility and How to Acquire It - DailyBlogTips

Blogging Credibility and How to Acquire It

Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:50 AM PST


If you say it, some people may think it might be true, but if you write it people are far more likely to think it's true – this is how newspapers work. The written word carries enhanced credibility, and by writing rather than speaking, your own credibility is increased. Enter the blogger and the huge numbers of new blogs being created every day – suddenly it has become cool to blog (read: 'write') and now anyone can set up a blog and start spouting whatever garbage comes to mind.

So I'll just say it: I think the vast majority of blogs out there are just crap.

I have to wade through masses of them to find something worthwhile. Occasionally, I find a real gem that makes the hunt worthwhile, but for the most part I surf on by and never return.

As part of that reader habit, I'm sure I skim through a ton of blogs which are in fact worthy. They just don't grab me fast enough to stop that automated impulse to go to the next site or hit the back browser.

A big part of my attitude is my automatic assessment of the credibility, or lack thereof, of the blog itself.

Building Your Blogging Credibility

As head of an online marketing company, if I catch Danny Sullivan, Matt Cutts, Aaron Wall or a dozen others in the mix, it piques my attention more than if I see "Joe Schmuck" with the latest SEO tactic that makes him thousands of dollars each day. Partially, it's also about the subject matter, and what is being relayed over to me as the reader, but it is largely the association of the blogger with the people being quoted too.

If your intention is to become an authority figure on a topic, then both your online and offline credibility are important. The issue is what can you do to cultivate credibility and show yourself in a positive light?

Credibility by Association

We've just touched on one thing you can do: become associated with others in your subject arena. If Daniel Scocco was to grace my blog's presence with a guest post, or I was to grab a comment from Rand Fishkin, then my credibility is enhanced simply by association. You know Daniel, you read and visit his site, so seeing what he has to say on my blog helps me a great deal in transferring the value in Daniel, that you have in your mind, to my blog and ultimately to me.

An alternative is to interview someone for a blog post, even grab a sound bite from them which can then be attributed. This is something which is easier to do than actually getting a busy person to sit down and write you three or four hundred words for a post. Just prepare some questions and email them to them – you don't even need to actually speak to them to interview someone.

I don't need to have an online celebrity post to my blog – someone else will do, but make sure they produce the very best content for your blog as you are able. Be editorial in the exercise of your judgment, because if it is a great post, that's fine, but if it simply regurgitated pulp, that is going to hurt you too if you are publishing it.

Translating Your Subject Matter Knowledge Into Reader Credibility

Your credibility is affected by how you approach the topic you are looking to become an authority in. If your blog is on Mommy tips, your credibility is not helped if you are a 48 year guy who has never had a kid, unless you're some sort of Dr, Spock character. I can't write a bunch on the movies if I don't watch them, and I am not interested with angst-ridden philosophy from spotty teenagers who think they know all about life but haven't left their hometown yet.

Your knowledge also needs to be current too, which will be reflected in the blogging posts you make. The nature of the media beast is that online users are living in the 'now', so the topicality of your blog should reflect what is happening in your niche too.

And you have to be able to make an intelligent stab at expressing what is happening too. It does no good to be light on factual support and heavy on personal opinion, at least that is, until you have established your credibility to begin with. In this respect, more evidence to back yourself up on any stands you take is a good thing, and you can't have enough either.

Be Real

When people get into a blog, they are really buying into the person behind it – what kind of character they are, where they are, how old, what sex and what do they look and sound like. For this reason, include your own bio and add photos of yourself too. Be personable and let your readership and potential surfers like me know you are real and not some made-up corporate persona that doesn't exist in the real world.

Work on Credibility Off Blog as Well as On It

Finally, getting yourself referenced elsewhere will improve credibility quickly too, especially if the reference is from another recognized leader in the field. This is probably the ultimate in getting endorsed, especially if someone like Rand Fishkin was to write about my SEO blog or Matt Cutts referenced me in one of his videos on Google.

Scaling my expectations down a notch, simple getting referenced by other bloggers who are in the same niche as me is good for my credibility too. After all, if I say something, it isn't as believable as if you say it about me, and the same applies if I write something, it is just going to be so much more credible if you write about me instead.

I'll just hope what you write is good stuff!

Karl Hindle is CEO of Andersen Internet Marketing LLC and you can find his personal blog at www.KarlHindleSEO.com

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Original Post: Blogging Credibility and How to Acquire It
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