Free Ringtones(*) With a Catch

It was heartening to spot the news today that Google has agreed to force search marketers to disclose the subscription fees associated with a lot of the supposedly “free” ringtone ads out there.

In a deal with the Florida Attorney General’s office, Google agreed to require search marketers to use copy such as “ad-supported” or “$9.99/month” when they are marketing their free ringtone ads. Basically, free ringtone ads trick unwary consumers into signing up for subscriptions and additional fees in the fine print. Glad to finally see that some regulation emerging for the deceptive ad practices in this space.