webb_masterson - 8:06 pm on Aug 8, 2001 (gmt 0)

>They aren't "engines," they are web sites. You really want laws passed about this? Can you imagine passing laws telling you what links you will put on your site, in what order, and under what terms?

No, not exactly. The laws were passed to prevent deceptive advertising, well before anyone ever heard of a search engine (I assume primarily directed towards mass media of the time). If the SEs tripped into this, they did so by ignoring well-known common business practices, i.e. disclosure, at their own peril. It wasn't like it was a great unknown, it was even mentioned here at WmW over a year ago.