The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is shutting down 10 companies who created “fake news websites” in an effort to peddle their wares.
Specifically, the sites focused on health, and were designed to promote Acai berries for weight loss.
“[T]he defendants operate websites that are meant to appear as if they belong to legitimate news-gathering organizations, but in reality the sites are simply advertisements aimed at deceptively enticing consumers to buy the featured acai berry weight-loss products from other merchants,” according to the FTC.
The sites looked legitimate–at least superficially–and they sought to leverage the brands of more credible news organizations by featuring their logos.
The logos of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News were all used by the sites.
At some point in time any of these news organizations could have discussed Acai berries in a story, but that does not warrant the use of their logos, which implies an endorsement on their part.