A Fine of US$11,000 If You Don’t State That You’re Paid To Write That Review

BLOGGERS WHO GET GIFTS OR MONEY MAY HAVE TO OWN UP

RULES WILL MAKE REVIEWS TRANSPARENT

Did anyone read the article on Straits Times today about the Media Development Authority (MDA) looking at stricter disclosure rules for bloggers?

If you're a blogger/writer/user of the internet and write reviews/articles, you MAY soon have to make clear and conspicuous disclosures if, for examples, you have written a review on a restaurant after having been treated a feast there.

"The penalty for flouting this rule in blogs or postings in Twitter, Facebook or YouTube: A fine of US$11,000 (S$15,360)."

"Consumers Association of Singapore executive director Seah Seng Choon said disclosure regulations would enable consumers to distinguish between advertorials and genuine reviews."

How do you feel about the idea of this new rule?

While I think it's only just that online readers & followers of a blog know if a write-up was written genuinely or if the blogger was paid money/products, wouldn't it hard to tackle users of the world-wide-web? Does this rule apply for all users in Singapore, Singaporeans or the www?

Who came up with these numbers?

And where does all the money from fines go to?