29 Nov 2010
Misleading information about BK. Is BK' propaganda against the law? Lets explore!
What is misleading & deceptive conduct?
There is a very broad provision in the Trade Practices Act that prohibits conduct by a corporation that is misleading or deceptive, or would be likely to mislead or deceive you.
It makes no difference whether the business intended to mislead or deceive you—it is how the conduct of the business affected your thoughts and beliefs that matters.
If the overall impression left by an advertisement, promotion, quotation, statement or other representation made by a business creates a misleading impression in your mind—such as to the price, value or the quality of any goods and services—then the conduct is likely to breach the law.
False claims
As well as the broad provision of the Trade Practices Act that prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct in general (see above), there are also some specific provisions.
For example, the law also says businesses must not make false claims about:the quality, style, model or history of a good or service
Representations about price
whether the goods are new
the sponsorship, performance characteristics, accessories, benefits and uses of goods and services
the availability of repair facilities or spare parts
the place of origin of a good (for example, where it was made or assembled)
a buyer's need for the goods or services
any exclusions on the goods and services.
If a business makes a false or misleading claim or representation about one of the issues on this list, then the conduct is likely to breach the law.
The price of a good or service is often a good indication of its quality or its availability of supply. Price comparisons can also give you an indication of whether you are getting a good deal or a bargain.
There are also special laws relevant to price advertising and promotions. A business risks breaching the law if it:makes inaccurate or misleading price comparisons (for example 'was' and 'now' prices)
I think I have been misled—what can I do?
represents that an advertised price is the total price that you will have to pay when in fact it is not
advertises goods and services at a specific price when it is, or should have been aware, that it would not be able to supply enough of the good at the price for a reasonable amount of time. This is called bait advertising.
Any claims or representations made by a business must be accurate and truthful. If you think a business has been dishonest, exaggerated the truth, or created a misleading impression, then you should report your concerns. You may not be the only consumer affected.
Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. It is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It may include the distribution of forged documents, manuscripts, and photographs, or spreading malicious rumors and fabricated intelligence. Disinformation should not be confused with misinformation, information that is unintentionally false.
In espionage or military intelligence, disinformation is the deliberate spreading of false information to mislead an enemy as to one's position or course of action. In politics, disinformation is the deliberate attempt to deflect voter support of an opponent, disseminating false statements of innuendo based on the candidates vulnerabilities as revealed by opposition research. In both cases, it also includes the distortion of true information in such a way as to render it useless.
Disinformation techniques may also be found in commerce and government, used to try to undermine the position of a competitor. It is an act of deception and blatant false statements to convince someone of an untruth. Cooking-the-books might be considered a disinformation strategy that led to the Sarbanes–Oxley Act.
Unlike traditional propaganda and Big Lie techniques designed to engage emotional support, disinformation is designed to manipulate the audience at the rational level by either discrediting conflicting information or supporting false conclusions.
Another technique of concealing facts, or censorship, is also used if the group can effect such control. When channels of information cannot be completely closed, they can be rendered useless by filling them with disinformation, effectively lowering their signal-to-noise ratio and discrediting the opposition by association with a lot of easily-disproved false claims.
A common disinformation tactic is to mix some truth and observation with false conclusions and lies, or to reveal part of the truth while presenting it as the whole (a limited hangout).