Paid Content summarizes a story by Wall Street Journal reporter Emily Steel about the industry that has arisen around  “persuading consumers to sign up to receive information from marketers, giving up some personal details in the process.”

Now, says Paid Content:

“This past spring, the Federal Trade Commission began looking into charges of false advertising related to lead gen. Now, some spooked marketers are abruptly pulling back its spending in this area . . . Aside from the FTC inquiry, some affiliate ad networks have stopped accepting incentive-based ads, as they found that consumers were mainly interested in the enticement of a free gadget, not the company’s advertised business. “