This article is part of the Arthritis Archives.
Dateline: June 27, 1999
Federal Trade Commission Crackdown
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is making an effort to combat fraudulent health websites on the Internet and is cautioning consumers to look to the Internet for health information with a discerning eye
The Federal Trade Commission has been sweeping the Internet in a crackdown on health websites which make fraudulent and unsubstantiated claims. The Federal Trade Commission campaign, known as Operation Cure.All, combines law enforcement and consumer education in an attempt to stop the bogus claims and quackery.
More than 22 million adults in the United States used the Internet to search for health and medical information as of December 1998.
- 29 percent of all Americans use the Internet for medical information, with about 70 percent of this group doing so prior to visiting the doctor.
- Most of these users search for information about diseases.
- About 25 percent of these users join an online support group.
Difficulties With Medical Information
With the Internet becoming an increasingly accessible and popular source of medical information, the Federal Trade Commission has realized the importance of alerting consumers to the dishonest claims and products now prevalent on the Internet. Accurate and quality information also exists on the Internet but it resides right along side the:
- bogus research
- deceptive health claims
- unproven medical information
It is a difficult task for the average Internet user to sift and sort through the vast amount of information available, deciding what is valuable and what is worthless.
Health Claim Surf Days
On two occasions, once in 1997 and once in 1998, the Federal Trade Commission conducted a Health Claim Surf Day. The surf days cited about 800 websites and various Usenet newsgroups which contained material or questionable claims about curing, treating, or preventing six diseases, including arthritis. Some of the questionable sites made bold claims about scientific research but the consumer was left with no way of determining the validity of the research.
Following each Surf Day the websites were sent email messages which informed them that disseminating false or unsubstantiated claims violates federal law. Twenty-eight percent of sites voluntarily removed claims or took down their site. Of four specific cases announced this past week by the Federal Trade Commission, one involved a company claiming a cure for arthritis made from beef tallow.
Consumer Awareness Pivotal
The Federal Trade Commission is committed to monitoring websites found to be shams. Consumer awareness is also pivotal to the success of Operation Cure.All. The consumer must be aware of the difference between reliable and unreliable medical information. The consumer must recognize which websites are deceptive and invalid, and conversely recognize websites on which they can depend for accurate and factual information.
Related Resources From The Federal Trade Commission
Related Resources
Source: "Operation Cure.all" Targets Internet Fraud, Federal Trade Commission, June 24, 1999
First published: 06/27/1999
