Business Guidance
Comprehensive resources to help businesses comply with consumer protection and competition laws, develop best practices, and better serve consumers.
Featured Guidance Areas
Advertising & Marketing
Guidance on truthful advertising, endorsements, native advertising, and marketing practices.
- Truth in Advertising
- Endorsements & Testimonials
- Native Advertising
- Environmental Claims
Privacy & Data Security
Best practices for protecting consumer data and complying with privacy regulations.
- Data Security
- Privacy Policies
- Children's Privacy
- Data Breach Response
Credit & Financial Services
Guidance on fair lending, credit reporting, debt collection, and financial services.
- Fair Credit Reporting
- Debt Collection
- Mortgage Services
- Payday Lending
Advertising & Marketing Guidance
Truth in Advertising
All advertising must be truthful, not misleading, and substantiated. Key principles include:
- Claims must be supported by evidence
- Disclosures must be clear and conspicuous
- Comparative claims must be fair and accurate
- Pricing must be transparent and accurate
Endorsements & Testimonials
When using endorsements or testimonials, businesses must:
- Disclose material connections with endorsers
- Ensure endorsements reflect honest opinions
- Use typical results when making performance claims
- Monitor and correct misleading endorsements
Privacy & Data Security
Data Security Best Practices
- Implement comprehensive security programs
- Train employees on security practices
- Use strong authentication methods
- Regularly update security measures
- Monitor for security threats
Privacy Policy Requirements
- Clear, understandable language
- Accurate description of data practices
- Consumer choice and control options
- Contact information for questions
- Regular updates and notifications
Children's Privacy (COPPA)
- Obtain parental consent for children under 13
- Provide clear notice of data collection
- Limit data collection to what's necessary
- Maintain security of children's data
- Allow parents to review and delete data
Credit & Financial Services
Fair Credit Reporting
Businesses that report consumer information must:
- Provide accurate and complete information
- Investigate disputes within 30 days
- Correct or delete inaccurate information
- Provide consumers with access to their reports
- Maintain reasonable procedures for accuracy
Debt Collection Practices
Debt collectors must follow fair practices:
- Provide validation notices within 5 days
- Respect consumer requests to stop contact
- Not use deceptive or abusive practices
- Provide accurate information about debts
- Honor consumer rights to dispute debts