Final answer:
Yes, deceptive advertising can happen online. The FTC regulates to prevent outright falsehoods, but some exaggeration is allowed. Consumers should remember 'caveat emptor' and be cautious.
Step-by-step explanation:
Deceptive advertising does occur in the online environment. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has guidelines and checks in place to ensure that factual claims about a product’s performance are accurate, to some extent. While some exaggeration and ambiguous language or images are permitted, outright false facts are against FTC regulations. Advertisers can capitalize on imperfect information to an extent, but if a claim is represented as a fact, it is required by law to be true. The principle of caveat emptor, or “let the buyer beware,” still applies and reminds consumers to be vigilant when viewing advertisements.