The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is cracking down on our online space – particularly, influencers.
Two new reports flag major concerns when it comes to social media influencers disclosing advertising; and businesses commissioning and collating their own reviews.
The reports revealed more than 80 per cent of influencers surveyed were making posts with potentially misleading advertising, while over 30 per cent of businesses looked at have been engaged in manipulating online reviews.
Listen to the episode of The Briefing here:
The sweep reviewed influencers across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook and Twitch – the influencers all tipped off to the ACCC by consumers.
In this episode of The Briefing ACCC acting chair Catriona Lowe takes us through what we should be looking out for online.
Ms Lowe said the influencer industry is “quite rapidly evolving and changing”, and understand there are consumers who do not understand what influencers must adhere to under consumer law.
“That’s why we’re taking a range of responses in relation to how we saw it and that’s why we are taking a range of approaches in terms of how we respond to this issue,” she said.
“And [it’s] one of the reasons indeed that we’re keen to promote both our findings, but also what is required in order to not mislead consumers.
“We are also in the process of producing guidance in relation to both of these areas and we will also consider appropriate compliance and enforcement action, but that will always be proportionate action.”
To find out the details of the reports’ findings and what further the ACCC plans to do in its crackdown on influencers, listen to the episode of The Briefing.