1) Several blogs promoting Wal-Mart, a PR client of Edelman, were found to be authored by Edelman employees, not actual customers as presented. 2) Ruckus created a fictional persona to attract customers, deceiving readers about the author's authenticity. 3) Zipatoni used viral marketing techniques like blogs to generate buzz for the Sony PSP without disclosing their involvement.

1. Blogs, Privacy, and User-generated Content

2. Blogs Wal-mart Blogs called “Working Families for Wal-mart,” “Paid Critics,” and “Wal-marting Across America” have been found to be written by employees of a public relations firm, Edelman, of which Wal-mart is a client.

3. Blogs Ruckus Ruckus has even made up a fictional person that was considered an actual human online so that it could attract attention from potential customers.

4. Blogs Sony PSP In the efforts of promoting the Sony PSP, a viral marketing firm, Zipatoni, have used flogs to get a buzz. These are only a few among several companies that have been engaging in deceptive internet marketing practices.

5. Privacy AOL Although it was a well intentioned attempt by AOL to reach out to the academic community in developing better retrieval technology, it was removed from the public view because of rise in privacy concerns even with the fact that identification numbers instead of names were used.

6. Privacy MySpace MySpace have run into a problem with hack codes that allow people to view someone else’s private content, which received criticism that it made access between underage teens and sex offenders vulnerable.

7. Privacy Xanga Millions of kids under 13 were able to open a Xanga account as it collected personal information from them without parental consent, which is a violation of Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act that was penalized with a million dollars.

8. Privacy Hershey Foods & Mrs. Fields Cookies Snack companies like Hershey Foods and Mrs. Fields Cookies have been fined for obtaining information from kids with no approval by the parents through their websites in which are aimed at children.

9. User-generated Content Malibu Caribbean Rum Consumers involved in Malibu Caribbean Rum were on bad terms as they claimed that the contest was rigged of which Malibu has denied the charge, yet the public relations agency in charge had distributed information about the event that contradicted the rules that had been posted online.

10. User-generated Content Chevrolet When Chevrolet had allowed people to take its existing video clips and music to create customized commercial, there was circulation of anti-S.U.V. ads.