Report Prepared for Congress (Nov 9, 2009): "Advertising Industry in the Digital Age"
While surfing the Web this morning for my daily fix of stories about health and technology, I stumbled upon this VERY interesting report created by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for "Members and Committees of Congress". After digging a little deeper I was unable to find this report posted anywhere else for public consumption. In fact, I discovered that "The Congressional Research Service, a congressional support agency, does not make its publications directly available to the public online" because oftentimes these reports addresses issues of national security, foreign policy and related topics.
However, I did uncover a Web site called "Open CRS" which is "committed to providing citizens access to CRS Reports already in the public domain" and pressuring Congress to provide public access to all CRS Reports. However, even in their extensive searchable archive of reports, I could not find this report. Interesting.
Well, without further ado, here it is. It's definitely worth a read. Enjoy!
# # #
Report Title: "Advertising Industry in the Digital Age"
Date: November 9, 2009
Written by Suzanne M. Kirchhoff
Analyst in Industrial Organization and Business
Excerpt from the report:
"Congress has long regulated advertising to protect consumers and ensure fair competition. Lawmakers are now debating whether, or how, to update advertising laws for the Internet age, without stifling growth or unduly hurting media outlets dependent on advertising revenue. House members are mulling legislation to enhance privacy rights, which could limit the growth of behavioral advertising. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is examining pharmaceutical marketing in social networks and recently set policies for online marketing. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released guidelines calling on bloggers to disclose paid product reviews. Other potential issues include looking at advertising in online games and online political advertising."CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL 28-PAGE REPORT (PDF)
