LONDON (UK) – Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of the UK said on Friday that Instagram has agreed to take steps to crack down on hidden advertising by influencers on its photo and video platform.
Those having thousands of followers on Instagram can earn hefty fees from firms to promote a particular product on that social media platform.
In what the CMA described as an important behaviour shift by a major social media platform, Facebook Ireland, which operates Instagram in the UK, has pledged to introduce a package of changes, which the CMA terms as a key behaviour shift by a major social media platform.
“This will make it much harder for people to post an advertisement on Instagram without labelling it as such,” the CMA said.
Facebook said it was happy to join hands with the CMA in its efforts to enhance transparency on when users are paid to post content on Instagram.
“We are also proud to be launching a programme with MediaSmart to help educate young people about branded content and how to identify it,” Facebook added.
The CMA said it is probing complaints that too many influencers are posting business content on Instagram without disclosing if they have received any remuneration or not to do so.
The social media platform will ensure that influencers confirm and disclose if they have received payment to promote a particular product or service.
According to the CMA, Instagram will make use of technology to identify if any user has not properly disclosed if a post is an advertisement.