FTC Announces a Workshop on the Effectiveness of Consumer Disclosures

By Jenifer R. Stach –

The Federal Trade Commission announced that it will host a workshop, “Putting Disclosures to the Test” at the Constitution Center, 400 7th St SW, Washington, DC 20024 on September 15, 2016. 

The FTC stated that “[e]ffective disclosures are critical in helping consumers make informed decisions in the marketplace.”  The FTC highlighted three areas where it believes disclosures are critical in consumer protection:           

• disclosures in advertising designed to prevent ads from being deceptive;
• privacy-related disclosures, including privacy policies and other mechanisms to inform consumers that they are being tracked;
• disclosures in specific industries designed to prevent deceptive claims, including jewelry, environmental claims, and fuel economy advertisements.

The workshop is free, and open to the public.  The FTC is soliciting presentation proposals as well as public comments.  Presentation proposals may be submitted to disclosuretesting@ftc.gov.  Public comments may be submitted to the FTC on its website here until November 2, 2016.