A PR firm admitted to creating fake blogs and stories to promote Walmart. Other companies also use fabricated blogs but it is unknown how many stories are false. While CEOs say corporations deserve a voice, blogs allow companies to create misleading images without addressing ethical issues. There is also a trend of creating fake social media profiles, known as "meat puppets", to collect people's information for marketers. Several companies, including Sony, AOL, MySpace, Xanga, Hershey and Mrs. Fields, have faced fines or issues for deceiving users or violating privacy laws. A rum company contest was accused of being rigged, and a Chevy ad campaign received critical user-generated ads addressing gas mileage.
![[object Object],[object Object],“ Corporate blogging: Wal-Mart's fumbles” More than three dozen of FORTUNE 500 companies now produce blogs. CEOs of these corporations claim that they deserve the same voice that public has and will continue to blog. Why? Blogs allow the public to put a face on corporations and ultimately decide what they personally think; however, this allows corporations to fabricate an image that often times neglects major ethical issues.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)