'Big Brother' Watching Bloggers?

Well, not exactly what you may be thinking. The "Internet police" aren't coming after you for writing about your next-door neighbor.

But on October 5, the Federal Trade Commission voted 4-0 to require bloggers to disclose any payments or free merchandise they receive from a company in exchange for reviewing its products. The actual form of disclosure is not regulated, but must be "clear and concise" according to the guidelines.

The new rule is scheduled to take effect December 1, and before bloggers become too nervous about additional scrutiny, Rich Cleland, the assistant director of the FTC's advertising practices division, says that violations are more likely to draw penalties for the advertiser than the blogger, unless the blogger fails to disclose payments or freebies consistently.

For more information, you can read the story here.