Taiwan’s FTC Fines Samsung $340,000 For Posting Fake Comments

A number of reports are confirming Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has fined Samsung more than $340,000 for posting fake comments on its own products and criticizing competitor products via third-party marketing companies. According to a story on The Verve, the FTC’s report claims Samsung paid people to “highlight the shortcomings of competing products” and […]

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computer-internet-legal-law-featuredA number of reports are confirming Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has fined Samsung more than $340,000 for posting fake comments on its own products and criticizing competitor products via third-party marketing companies.

According to a story on The Verve, the FTC’s report claims Samsung paid people to “highlight the shortcomings of competing products” and discovered “nefarious activity” by Samsung commenters:

The list of infractions includes the “disinfection of negative news about Samsung products,” “palindromic Samsung product marketing,” and the positive evaluation of Samsung products.

In addition to Samsung’s fine, The Verve said two marketing firms involved in the incriminating activity were also fined more than $100,000.

The Verve says the FTC does not name the competing products defamed in the Samsung comments, but notes HTC was positioned as “the victim of a campaign of defamation” when the FTC began investigating Samsung earlier this year.

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About the author

Amy Gesenhues
Contributor
Amy Gesenhues was a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land, Search Engine Land and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.

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