$9M Fine for Paying People to Say They Like Your New Phone

The manufacturer of the phone was accused of paying radio personalities to read scripts about the new phone.
www.lehtoslaw.com

[@stickyfox]

I'm astounded that we're still indulging the fantasy that anyone who promotes a product in the media is being sincere.

[@Heynmffc]

* Establish titles*

[@davidh9638]

True. But knocking down some fake endorsements and false claims is still a step in the right direction. Too bad it took the heavy hand of government to do it.

[@Cocollyt]

@@Heynmffc LMAO I can’t get away from them in any comment section 😂

[@joewilson3393]

Usually I just expect they are paid to do it unless they say otherwise.

[@UmmmmmmmWhat]

Mobile game ads with "celebrity" "endorsements" in them with a Cameo watermark... Cameo, where i can pay a celebrity to record a Happy Birthday message to Adolf Hitler, they say whatever you pay them for. 😆

[@starlitalpha7]

Only nine million? That's not even the cost of doing business. That's a penny stuck in their shoe

[@georgemead6608]

A fine of $9 million to Google is roughly equivalent to a fine of $0.001 for murder to a wealthy person.

[@machintelligence]

The term "chump change" leaps to mind.

[@peteengard9966]

I remember when they wanted cable TV deregulated. They said our cable bill would be lower. Lies lies lies.

[@RhizometricReality]

Its all scams all the way down. Capitalism is predicated on layers of coercion. Not just for the consumer.

[@stevebabiak6997]

Municipalities offer one cable company the “local franchise” and that gives that cable company a local monopoly. Do that in enough places close to each other, and that monopoly grows. The monopoly eliminates the competition that deregulation was supposed to encourage …

[@RhizometricReality]

@@stevebabiak6997 exactly. Big enough to push everyone out or down.

[@uraldamasis6887]

Cable TV is basically a cartel operation at this point. Nobody should use it.

[@RhizometricReality]

@@uraldamasis6887 Streaming becoming the same. These corpos need a reckoning

[@johnpatrick1588]

I react negatively to celebrities and personalities advertising/endorsing things. I also don't eat at celebrity restaurants.

[@BlackJesus8463]

Because it's overpriced mediocre food?

[@UmmmmmmmWhat]

My favorite is mobile game ads made up of "endorsements" by washed up "celebrities" that have the "Cameo" watermark on all the "endorsements". Cameo is a web service that was intended for users to be able to do things like pay a celebrity to record a "Happy Birthday" message for someone that is personalized to whatever script you send them... Mobile game devs use it to pay for fake endorsements, scripted by the developer not the celebrity... who never played the game.

[@darthdaddy6983]

Good things don’t need advertising

[@pansepot1490]

When you buy something endorsed by a millionaire celebrity remember that part of your money goes straight into their pockets. You ain’t paying more for quality, you are paying more for making a rich person richer. At least with normal advertising it’s unknown actors who get paid.

[@TheRealScooterGuy]

Steve has a couple of videos with his own endorsements at the end. Companies want the celebrity endorcements because people give them more credence than random comments from ordinary users of the products.

[@cashstore1]

Paying people to do or say something is always going on. While I was visiting Hollywood, we walked up on some bleachers along the road in front of the Kodak building. It was the beginning of the daytime Emmy awards. We noticed some empty seats and asked if we could go up in the bleachers and watch the stars walk the red carpet. I started talking to many of the people in the bleachers and they told me they were PAID to be there as the media did not want empty bleachers on camera. We did have a good time there but most of the people there were bought and paid for. It was all fake.

[@3089280288]

The Clapper!

[@BeardMan01]

It's all fake. The only thing real in Hollywood is the penis they put in your butt.

[@sleepyearth]

They are seat fillers. It's not uncommon

[@awesomeferret]

So, you explain how the audience was fake and conclude "it's ALL fake". Nice modern KZbin mental gymnastics there. ☺ To be clear, I would agree that it's mostly fake, but "all fake" requires disregarding the definition of the word "fake". 31 upvotes... Welcome to KZbin.

[@RobertWilkinsonJKekMaloy]

You were … surprised … that Hollywood did something fake …?

[@Rathial]

The amount of scammy/scummy things done for the sake of advertising is crazy

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Yup, and it should be a felony again, with every local, regional, national and international information/media/social media monopoly forcefully broken up and sold piecemeal on executive auction with anti-monopoly checks on bidders.

[@FU-Utube]

Bruh $9.4M isn't a penny to them

[@pcdude2394]

9 million to Google is like a dollar fine to a regular Joe

[@gorak9000]

it's just a pay to play fee - it's not a fine, just a cost of doing business

[@RayTheVideoGuy]

I remember a well-known, national talk radio host doing a live read about an auto product (I think it was a gas additive). He talked about how his Explorer was doing this or that, and the additive fixed the issue. It sounded pretty authentic. Then I hear the exact same Explorer read from another radio person. Never trusted that show host again

[@jameshill2450]

You had no reason to trust them in the first place. He's allegedly doing shows on three different stations at the same time, remember?

[@paulwolf8444]

Why can't these people be " found guilty " so those words can be used publicly

[@shibosuru]

Color me shocked, that google would do that.

[@uraldamasis6887]

This is why I don't watch or listen to ads anymore. I have full adblocking on all internet browsing, I don't watch cable TV or listen to radio, and I support my favorite content creators by throwing them each 5 or 10 bucks a month. If I do happen to see or hear an ad within a video or podcast, I make a mental note to never, ever buy that product or service no matter what.

[@pmessinger]

It wasn't just radio, it was for newspapers, TV. Advertising is wildly out of control. The net has opened up even worse ways to assault unsuspecting prospective consumers. Other changes included allowing longer commercial breaks on TV and radio, running ads from competing companies in the same break.

[@RhizometricReality]

Its all scams all the way down. Capitalism is predicated on layers of coercion. Not just for the consumer.

[@TheWatcherxx99]

I don't see adverts

[@RhizometricReality]

@@TheWatcherxx99 adblock and tracker blockers? Or European?

[@michaelsommers2356]

"Unsuspecting" consumers? Why are there any of those? Especially today?

[@BrianFullerton]

Why would any consumer be "unsuspecting" with respect to advertisements? Or any report in any form of media, for that matter? Everyone has a bias. Except me, of course.

[@thisiscompletelyreta]

A 9 million dollar fine for advertising that likely made them 900 million dollars. That definitely makes sense.

[@darthdaddy6983]

Translation : “1% for the big guy” it’s a real steal of a deal.

[@joshuagibson2520]

That little 9m is hardly a dererrent.

[@gorak9000]

It's just a pay to play fee - pay your fee, then do whatever you want.

[@keinlieb3818]

They spent over $100m in advertising for the phone. The $9m was just added to that budget that they already knew they would be fined for and the lawyers got rich.

[@constanttraveler]

I couldn't believe that iHeart got away with continuing to run a male enhancement commercial featuring "Smiling Bob" after the company founder was found guilty of false claims. It used to be an FCC violation to run a commercial knowing that it contained false claims. I couldn't detect any difference before and after the verdict yet the commercials started up again.

[@BlackJesus8463]

They do work just not for everyone all the time. In fact it's probably a good test for coronary artery disease. loljk

[@gscurd75]

The dollar amount is a drop in the bucket. Sure there is a huge disincentive for a small company to break the rules but no so much for big companies. If you pay 9M in fines but because of those actions you ended up with 30M in additional profit, then why follow the rules? These fines need to be changed to a dollar amount or percentage of profits, whichever is higher.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Better a double digit percentage of gross turnover×Xdays (X=no of violations)

[@randysmith9715]

Traffic tickets work that way in Sweden. The fine is a percentage of your income. The highest ticket ever levied in Sweden was about $1,000,000.00 USD

[@gorak9000]

Because the corporations are the ones in control of the laws through lobbyists, and it's setup the way it is so that the big companies get a slap on the wrist, while if a small company tried the same BS, they'd go bankrupt paying the fine. Things are working exactly as intended, and as long as corporations are throwing money at politicians through --corruption-- lobbying, nothing will change, it will just get worse.

[@malenurse1999]

$9.4 million is a nothing fine for those companies

[@madmaximilian5783]

Hey Steve I once researched an item on line and noticed that all 30 of the positive reviews were all written on the very same day month and year. Steve I personally really appreciate you covering events just like these so that your audience can share their real life experiences with you and your audience.

[@nuttysquirrel8816]

I recently received two different extended car warranty advertisment cards in the mail. They didn't put the company names on the cards, but there were phone numbers. I suspect they don't want people googling the company name and reading reviews.

[@atomic66]

yep, its an extras casting agency called SRO. but it didnt cost you anything, and you could just walk out if you got bored. unlike paying for a product, because the ads were misleading

[@RhizometricReality]

Fraudulent reviews are a serious problem. We as a society have a hard time manufacturing honesty when dishonestly pays the bills

[@madmaximilian5783]

@@atomic66 soooo what does SRO really represent as far the meaning?

[@MtgCoach]

@@nuttysquirrel8816 Google the phone number!

[@Bobs-Wrigles5555]

I spy Ben (Extremely hard to see) end-on leaning on the front of the Tucker, Steve's RHS

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

Good eye.

[@Bobs-Wrigles5555]

@@Eidolon1andOnly Aim to please...😉👍

[@dennisberman4640]

Holy crap!! Well done!

[@cybersal7]

Thanks! I can only spot him when he’s in the coffee cup or maybe pasted on Steve’s forehead.

[@Bobs-Wrigles5555]

@@cybersal7 Steve thinks of you as well, I suspect the last 3 videos were for phone viewers

[@maxsdad538]

Aren't businesses already barred from misleading advertisements? And how come the government doesn't care about deceptive ads for political candidates?

[@gordonshumway7239]

It’s good to know the Feds are on the job. Now finally I can sign up for Car Shield, knowing Ice T and his celebrity pals are totally on the up and up. Even better, I also know I won’t be getting scammed if I take out a Reverse Mortgage to make the Car Shield payments. My whole life just got a lot easier …

[@keithe2150]

I’m sure it doesn’t mean much but I just read about 50 comments and yours made me laugh out loud. Good luck with all that :-)

[@toriless]

Reverse Mortgages are scam disguised as a HELOC which is the real thing.

[@cericat]

It tends to be more deceptive than that, I'm old enough to remember the cash for comment scandal first hand, talk shows often develop a lot of good will between the personality and the listeners so when they present something as their experience without disclosing the relationship it's an abuse of that trust. At least those CarShield "endorsements" are obvious ads.

[@gordonshumway7239]

@@cericatHey, I’m old enough to remember Arthur Godfrey! He practically invented the celebrity endorsement scam. Also the Radio Payola scandal of the 1950s …

[@ripvanrevs]

I heard FTX crypto can make you a lot of money. Tom Brady told me that.

[@jolenewitzel7919]

Drug companies do the same thing.

[@BlackJesus8463]

actor portrayal*

[@SonsOfLorgar]

And they need to be deprivatized for it.

[@kenbrown2808]

drinking a glass of water before meals can help with a diet program. no placebo powder needed. but an actual diet program usually is.

[@PhiloSage]

Only $9M, that's pocket change. Not even a penalty but a slight increase in the AD campaign costs.

[@QQuandary]

During my commute to and from a college in Dayton, Ohio, I would listen to WGTZ Z93. They would give their service locations by saying, "Eaton Springfield and Dayton ALIVE." I still chuckle about it when I think about it.

[@madmax2069]

Haha, I remember that

[@maurer3d]

So they did exactly what 99.9% of advertisement do? Most (if not all) station's use an automated computer system to play music, commercials, and station ID's. I worked with a small independent (online) station about 20 years ago and we called the system DJ Playlist, and if a DJ was live they would be able to add songs in to the list and pause the list to talk, but once they unpaused it DJ Playlist took over.

[@davidh9638]

No. Watch the video. Then watch some ads. Most advertisements do _NOT_ say 'I personally used this product."

[@toriless]

Not all

[@zapazap]

​@@davidh9638 Would not having used it once put this statement in the clear?

[@markstevens1729]

Google OG logic: “If ya can’t dazzle ‘em with brilliance, baffle ‘em with bullshit.”

[@ktktktktktktkt]

This seems like a bad idea for a marketing campaign... Do people actually care that much about what a radio host thinks of a phone? Just make it a normal ad read right?

[@BlackJesus8463]

If they wanted to sell Pixels all they have to do is put bigger screens on them but they won't do that.

[@dennisberman4640]

Ben - If you can find him, you're gold!

[@Bobs-Wrigles5555]

I'm gold, check front of Tucker(only took 7 mins)

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

*find I don't think Ben needs any funding. 😉

[@dennisberman4640]

@@Bobs-Wrigles5555 Yep, there you are. And Bob is Gold.

[@Bobs-Wrigles5555]

@@dennisberman4640 🙇‍♂

[@terrancecoard388]

Bob is Golden!!

[@dougjones9493]

I guess every company that advertises will be open to law suits unless everyone they use, uses the products.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Bullshit, but it would be good riddance if it did.

[@stickyfox]

I'd be happy to just see the end of advertising everywhere!

[@paulafields3711]

The sad part is the company just passes on the cost to it's users. 🤷

[@SeanBZA]

$9 million, just a rounding error on the profit they made out of sales of the phones.

[@RhizometricReality]

Its all scams all the way down. Capitalism is predicated on layers of coercion. Not just for the consumer.

[@zapazap]

If the users are free to not purchase, it does not bother me It is not as if costs are passed on to unwilling taxpayers.

[@betochiwas]

They should fine personal wealth of executives, millions dollar fines to a "corporation" end up being meaningless and just an operative expense

[@mvpfocus]

_its_

[@highpockets2376]

Google lying? Imagine that.

[@rdizzy1]

We should continue this down to it's logical conclusion, that most ads in the media involving celebrities or well known individuals are fraudulent and misleading, and they should all be banned or sued as well.

[@johncox9868]

A friend of mine worked 25-30 hours/week for 3 different radio stations, all owned by Clear Channel, from the same building. She collected 3 different paychecks, was not considered full time, and did not receive benefits despite working 80-90 hours/week.

[@the_chomper]

ill take things that never happened for 500 alex.

[@walmartdog1142]

Years ago, Pat Boone was endorsing an ineffective acne medication. In 1978, Mr. Boone became the first celebrity to accept responsibility for endorsing a product that failed to deliver as advertised. He’d appeared in an ad for an acne medication, telling consumers that the ointment was a “real help” in keeping his four daughters blemish free. Turned out, that statement wasn’t true. When challenged by the FTC, Mr. Boone accepted personal responsibility and agreed to pay restitution.

[@keithe2150]

When I worked in radio, I was always told I have a good face for radio

[@patriot9455]

They are suing google to stop them from deceiving the public WEHEEEE

[@briangarrow448]

A new “Payola”scandal?! I guess what is old is now new, again.

[@richhertlein8878]

I’ve noticed that none of the DJ’s do personal endorsements of the ED products that are constantly advertised.

[@robertjune1221]

Isolated incident, all 29,000 of them. I'll bet there was no admission of wrongdoing in the settlement.

[@walmartdog1142]

You mean that Google has abandoned their earlier pledge to "Not be evil?" I'm shocked.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

You left out the middle part of the promise: "Not to get caught beeing evil"

[@walmartdog1142]

And Fred Flintstone didn't really enjoy Winston Cigarettes even tho he said "Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should."

[@thishominid871]

The difference between a fine and a permit is that permits require you to pay up front.

[@InfestedTemplar]

I remembered a story that Sarah Michelle Gellar appeared in an advertising campaign from Burger King saying they were better than McDonald's which actually required her not to "show her face" in McDonald's. Presumably Google could have done similar and require they use a supplied Google phone and avoid Apple phones etc and it was basically just sloppiness that they didn't.

[@Br3ttM]

There's also the cost of sending each of them the new model of phone whenever it comes out and they want an updated ad.

[@dr.ryttmastarecctm6595]

9 million is nothing to Google. Another sign that corporate income has outstripped regulatory power.

[@brad9529]

"The FCC won't let me be," that runs in my head every time I hear FCC.

[@JTA1961]

Exactly why I've quit watching TV & listening to the radio... tipping point is cable co. attempting to charge me to watch their commercials

[@CorpusOrganic]

i'm with everyone else. pretty much all sponsorships with content creators work this way. biggest offenders i can think of are audible and raid shadow legends. the creators have to follow a script. no matter what. right down to their favorite thing about it being scripted

[@soogymoogi]

It sucks that a lot of content creators have to take these subscriptions too, considering how unreliable youtube and other platforms can be with ad revenue

[@gorak9000]

Just install sponsorblock - you won't have to listen to any of that BS anymore - it just auto skips all that garbage. I generally don't watch youtube channels that have promotions in them anyway, but lately it's just getting worse and worse, so sponsorblock is now required on anything I watch youtube on. Along with u-block origin for blocking everything else.

[@Figgy20000]

The issue with this story is that they did specifically tell people they were sponsored. KZbin streamer sponsors are also required to inform you they are getting paid

[@iggyboo]

Oh great let's fine the multi billion dollar company 9mil. I'm sure that will stop them

[@wolphin732]

They should be already aware of it... and legal should have done something! They need to throw the book and start giving maximum fines

[@BrianBatemanSEOllc]

Google's TOS for their advertisers on Google Ads don't allow advertisers to pay for reviews. I guess they don't follow their own rules.

[@ThePrufessa]

Sure does sound a bit on the fraud side.

[@hootersnoocher8467]

What I love most about you Steve, not only do you have a topic of current events, I grew up in the next county to the east and get a nostalgic walk through commonly shared life experiences. 😊

[@AeroGuy07]

I heart radio/clear channel is the company that ruined radio in America. I'll never forget hearing my local afternoon drive-time DJ on the air in a city 100 miles away. As I'm driving between the two cities as one station starts to fade I tune in my local station and I hear the same DJ. Jay Gilbert was live in Cincinnati while a recorded show played in Columbus. As I'm writing this, and watching the video, an ad for the new Pixel popped up through the Verizon app...

[@BlackJesus8463]

Forealz. They create alternative stations and then play the same worn-out music from the main channel. And their DJs will say anything!

[@groermaik]

Hundo, unfolded, leaning against the front of the Tucker '48, on the left side top of the main cabinet. 1.2k+.

[@unsearchablethings8167]

Huh? lol. Couldn’t happen to anyone better than Google.

[@ThePrufessa]

I'd rather it happen to Elon Musk

[@ThePrufessa]

Or maybe I should say one person that deserves it more is Elon Musk.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@ThePrufessa *equally Don't discriminate between corporate crooks ;) Also, not all crooks are corporate, but all corporates are crooks.

[@ThePrufessa]

@@SonsOfLorgar fair enough

[@socialanarchy081]

It astounds me that average citizens are willing to go to bat and defend the practices of the corporations who are actively working to destroy our society.

[@justincoleman9776]

Never trust a person trying to sell you something

[@JemJules]

Sales individuals are just like the Zodiac sign Geminis! "Can't take the lies out of a Gemini!!"

[@bytoadynolastname6149]

9 million dollar fine, probably 100 million dollar in profits from the violation. Ohhhh but now they were specifically told not to break the law again.

[@darknight1220]

The fcc should also require pcompanies to make a public statement saying they lied about positive reviews

[@darknight1220]

All done during peak times over. A few months

[@MarsMan1]

Thou shalt not LIE... unless you are Government!

[@christophercripps7639]

Does the memo also say station managers can't discipline radio on-air personalities for refusing to do adverts for products they don't/haven't use(d) or think negatively about??

[@baldthanos4614]

I'm also surprised that the current conservative Supreme Court hasn't stepped in yet.

[@drewk75]

The "placebo water" ads keep showing up for me in various games where it cut together scenes from "Shark Tank" and suggest that the sharks were blown away by how impressive the product is.

[@cpcoark]

It was a sad day when the government allowed, even encouraged, oligopoly to form.

[@BlackJesus8463]

bruh

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@BlackJesus8463 you misspelled *based*

[@susieque5030]

Thanks Steve, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to hear that google has been fined! I despise that company. I have a google account because I can’t have KZbin without one. I miss Ask Jeeves. I hate that google has this monopoly, but it is what it is

[@sugarpuddin]

Why isnt monopolization illegal? Sherman Act? Why isn't the USA government suing? Do the consumers have to sue now under Qui Tam ? Doesn't monopolization take options away from consumers?

[@marcuslinton310]

The best thing is to simply not believe any advertising and there ya go.

[@gorak9000]

Best thing is to block all advertising from your life as much as possible and not waste your time in the first place

[@marcuslinton310]

@@gorak9000 Agreed... adblockers are amazing and no matter how much google tries to stop blockers, they won't succeed.

[@gorak9000]

@@marcuslinton310 If google brings in the change to chrome that will stop adblock from working (supposed to be coming early next year), switch back to firefox - I actually switched back to firefox a couple of years ago now, and I'm happy I did. Google is not on a good path anymore.

[@marcuslinton310]

​@@gorak9000 I'm already on Firefox, but Google doesn't just focus on their browser, they try to alter the way advertisements are delivered to avoid blockers.

[@TheSighphiguy]

so they got fined 9million for a practice that probably netted them 900million? sounds about right. thats a good incentive to do it... i mean....NOT...do it again. i mean...everyone DOES realize that the 9million is merely the governments slice of the pie.

[@p24t]

Someone having owned and used a device is a clearly demonstrable fact. Someone 'having an opinion' is not so clear cut. I'm glad they're barred from misleading the public in the future, but confused if they were fined for doing something they weren't barred from doing? Not even by law?

[@GrumpyAustralian]

I remember radio "actors/actress" who were in their 40/50 playing the part of a teenage in one or other series!

[@stevef68]

Interesting subject with all the chatter about "Established Titles" floating around right now.

[@byronwatkins2565]

"But, mamma I only use my own paddle." "I know, Forrest, but this is $25,000. Maybe you could hold it for a while and see if it grows on you." "My mamma! She sure is a smart lady!"

[@TerryLawrence001]

100% of all media is intended to MAKE money,period!

[@fredblonder7850]

In 1974 I was a DJ on a pirate AM station. We didn’t keep a log. We didn’t do station ID; we didn’t have call-letters. ;-)

[@geoffstrickler]

The elimination of media ownership limits was a bad idea. They could have increased the limits, but still somewhere in the 10-20 station range (plus newspapers), but the elimination of limits was just bad.

[@stringercorrales6627]

Google doesn’t like being censored now do they.

[@titandragon6737]

Back in the early 90s, I worked the college radio station. We did classical music. Many of those songs were over an hour. We would have to break in the middle of the song and do the station ID.

[@SuperWooba]

Disclaimer in front of radio ad for an app in my market ... "Consent not required for purchase" ... What does that even mean?

[@LarryRosenman]

Iheart is clear channel renamed

[@davidh9638]

Yeah, Steve said that.

[@LarryRosenman]

@@davidh9638 I posted the comment before I heard him mention it.

[@ateamfan42]

Seems Google's old mantra of "do no evil" has long since been thrown out for money

[@sewmeonekenobi639]

Isn’t paying actors to say they like something called “advertising”?

[@Voltaic_Fire]

They made more than $9m from these false adverts, this is just a cost of doing business to them. The fines need to be *WAY* higher.

[@davidcookmfs6950]

When I was a taxi dispatcher, we had to announce our radio call sign, and announce the time. So "KNFL 970 California Co-Op Cab time is 1917 hours". We would make a record by entering it in the dispatch computer as though someone had called a cab.

[@bradleypidge7812]

He's a great example as to why those laws are in place recently there was a celebrity who announced that she duct tapes her mouth shut while she sleeps because it promotes better sleeping people are now dying as a result if anybody could claim anything everybody would be killing themselves over stupid s*** it just goes to prove how intelligent we as a species actually are

[@badchippo]

"Placebo water." I really needed that laugh.

[@constanttraveler]

WGTZ didn't want people to know that their license was in Eaton, Ohio. They wanted to be thought of as a Dayton channel so they coined the station ID tag of "WGTZ Eaton, Dayton And Springfield alive!"

[@BlackJesus8463]

lol

[@EdoKwin]

Well played

[@Jack-gy7cs]

What's the difference if the news media lies to us or promotor lies to us?

[@ncdave4]

9M is a spit on the sidewalk to Google.. 9B would be a better lesson

[@gregorysampson8759]

I thought all endorsement were fake. That was a given. Anything being advertised is a lie, standard fare.

[@cybersal7]

I love my new Google phone, it’s the best phone I’ve ever had, is the smartest phone I’ve ever had. I can’t recommend it enough.. Please send my check. (I don’t even have a Google search on any of my electronics, but I am forced to have them to get KZbin). This fine couldn’t have happened to a better company.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Imo, the fines should have been a double digit percentage of gross corporate turnover for a duration of 1 day/offense, not a fixed ammount/offense.

[@keithmalmberg8395]

If you buy something because you hear from a paid representative you are the person P.T. Barnum was talking about.

[@mikem3695]

Product endorsement for sketchy businesses is creeping into YT, but I have to give credit to Steve for not following this trend unlike many of the KZbin creators I used to have more respect for. The ads for Established Titles come to mind in this regard.

[@welltell.]

I drink so much placebo water every day that I lost so much weight I no longer have to wait to go to the bathroom.

[@sharpfang]

Google has to pay $9mln? Ouch, their sides gonna hurt from laughter.

[@catman8965]

9M penalty for Google? THAT'S A JOKE!!!

[@kansascityshuffle8526]

That fine won’t touch the profits generated from this deception

[@berzurkfury]

9 million, just a drop in the bucket of how much money they have.

[@steveashley9605]

9 M fine to google is like a flick on the wrist to anyone else. Doesn't have any corrective or punitive substance

[@RealBHS]

A company i bought an item from offered to pay me $20 (notice the dollar sign comes before, not after, kids) to leave a 5-star review on Amazon once. I started the review with "(company name) is paying me $20 to leave this 5-star review..." They promptly begged me to reword the review, pointing out it's against Amazon policy to pay for reviews. Kept the money, left the review.