FAQ

How do I report an ad?

If you spot or believe that you are a victim of a false or deceptive ad, you can tell us about it here. Upon receiving your complaint, TINA.org will determine whether to take action. The more details and evidence you can provide, the better informed we will be to act on your complaint.

Also, remember that our mission focuses on deceptive advertising so please avoid submitting general complaints about products or services.

How is TINA.org different from other consumer advocacy groups/sites?

TINA.org is the only consumer advocacy organization that works on deceptive advertising as a whole. In other words, unlike many other groups that focus on specific types of ads or products, TINA.org casts a wide net. Deceptive food ad? We’re on it. Shady car commercial? We’re on that too. Fraudulent work-at-home scheme? Yup, that’s us again. Weight loss supplements? Cosmetics? Travel? Telemarketing? Spam? TINA.org’s got it covered.

We don’t just report on newsworthy issues and offer an educational resource for our readers. We also actively fight against deceptive marketing by regularly filing complaint letters with various government agencies and private entities alerting them to misleading and deceptive ads, which we hope will lead to real change.

Is TINA.org associated with the FTC, FDA, FCC, or any other government agency?

No. TINA.org is an independent nonprofit organization. Though we share the same goal as many government agencies regulating consumer affairs — and regularly file complaints with those agencies — we realize the government can only do so much. These agencies can draft rules and guidelines, but enforcement, if it happens at all, is often too little, too late. TINA.org applauds the government for what it does right, and fills in—and pushes back—when it comes up short.

Does TINA.org cover political advertising??

TINA.org reports and investigates all ads EXCEPT for political ads. This is because there are a number of outlets that already do an excellent job with this including:

www.factcheck.org

www.politifact.com

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker

Why are there weird blank spaces all over the site?

If you have an ad-blocking extension installed on your browser (round of applause if you do), it may be blocking legitimate TINA.org content, which often features ads for comment or criticism. You can temporarily disable the extension in the “Tools” menu of your browser.

Does TINA.org hate all advertising?

No. Contrary to what you might think, we here at TINA.org are quite fond of ads – just not the ones that deceive you or rip you off. Advertising and marketing play an important role in our society and in our economy, and TINA.org doesn’t dispute that. We just don’t want you or anyone else to get scammed.

What makes a good ad?

Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a “good” ad. Some people like ads that make them laugh, others love commercials with cute babies and puppies, and yet others like ads that give them as much information as possible about the product or service being shown. At the end of the day, as far as TINA.org’s concerned, ads should tell you the truth. The rest is up to you.

Will TINA.org take down a post if the company gets rid of the deceptive advertising?

No. As a general matter, TINA.org never takes down an article or post. But we will always consider updating an article to let consumers know what the company has done since the original post was published. So if you’ve got an update, please let us know.