Italy’s broadcasting competition regulator (AGCOM) has approved strict new rules to increase the transparency of posts by influencers with millions of followers on social networks, Reuters reports.

Chiara Ferragni with Italian rapper FedezPhoto: Mondadori Portfolio / ddp USA / Profimedia

The decision comes after Chiara Ferragni, one of Italy’s most famous influencers, was fined more than one million euros by the Italian antitrust agency for not being clear about a charity campaign she organized over Christmas.

Ferragna has more than 30 million followers on Instagram.

The new rules set by AGCOM will apply to influencers who post in Italian and work with Italian brands if they have more than one million followers on social networks.

Any content containing promotional messages must be clearly marked as such to be easily identifiable, or celebrities face fines of up to €600,000.

In recent years, big brands around the world have increasingly turned to influencers at the expense of traditional marketing campaigns, due to the huge number of subscribers and the fact that they demand fees many times lower than the sums demanded by television. and other classical media.

Italy and France regulate influencer advertising

After a public debate over the issue, France last year passed a law banning influencers from promoting products such as tobacco, also with the aim of ensuring greater transparency around paid content.

AGCOM also said in a press release on Thursday that influencers will be required to adhere to the same code of conduct that applies to all media outlets. Among other things, it involves objective communication, avoiding fake news and discriminatory or racist messages.

Giacomo Lasorella, head of AGCOM, said in an interview with the daily newspaper La Repubblica that the era of the “Wild West” for online promoters is over. He emphasized that the agency he heads has been working on the new rules for more than a year and that they were not inspired by Chiara Ferragna’s case.

Lasorella also said that for now the authorities will target the “big fish” in the online environment, but he expects those with fewer followers to “follow the right path.”