On June 18, 2007, WLF filed formal comments with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), urging it not to revise its guidelines regarding the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. WLF is opposing efforts by Commercial Alert and other activist groups, which seek tighter control on the use of endorsements and consumer testimonials in advertising, no matter how truthful. WLF argued that truthful speech is fully protected by the First Amendment and is not subject to government prohibition simply because some consumers might give greater credence to the endorsements or testimonials than activists might deem appropriate. WLF argued that simple disclaimers (such as that “the results reported may not be typical of all users”) are sufficient to prevent consumer testimonials (e.g., “I lost 38 pounds using this weight-loss plan”) from being misleading.
