The ACCC Sets Its Sights on Influencers and the Freebies They Flog

The ACCC is expanding its online fight to the world of influencers. In a Facebook post, the consumer watchdog put out a call, asking if us mere mortals have noticed anything shady going on with an ‘influencer’ on social media. Specifically, the ACCC is looking to track down influencers that aren’t disclosing that their posts are actually ads, and is warning those with large followings to be more up-front about whether they are getting paid for product placement. In 2023, I don’t need to explain what an influencer is; but it needs to be highlighted that just like with journalism, if there is a monetary element to it, this needs to be disclosed. You’ll notice that mostly on Gizmodo Australia where we include affiliate links or mention that we travelled to a particular event as a guest of that company. It’s a very similar case for influencers – they need to disclose if something is an ad, or at the very least, if it’s not something they have naturally come across, or not a genuine love for a product. Anyway, the ACCC is looking into it. “Influencers, across all social media platforms, can’t mislead consumers by failing to disclose if a post is an ad, a sponsorship or if they’re receiving incentives for promoting a brand,” the ACCC wrote. “We’re investigating influencer activity. Under the Australian Consumer Law businesses cannot mislead or deceive consumers in their advertising or marketing. If an influencer makes a statement that is incorrect or is likely to create a false impression, this may be misleading or deceptive conduct.” According to the ABC, the ACCC will launch an official campaign next week, one that will involve a national sweep of online platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. While there’s no official place to make a complaint, or raise some influencer behaviour to the ACCC, just yet, you can slide into their DMs on Facebook if you think you’ve spotted an influencer doing the wrong thing.          

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