INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Italian Communications Authority: new rules for influencer adopted.
The Italian Communications Authority has approved the "Guidelines aimed at ensuring compliance by influencers with the provisions of the Consolidated Law on Audiovisual Media Services", which it had put out for public consultation following the approval of Resolution 178/23/CONS last July.
The approved Guidelines define a set of rules aimed at influencers operating in Italy who reach, among other things, at least one million followers on the various platforms or social media on which they operate and have exceeded on at least one platform or social media an average engagement rate of 2% or more (i.e., who have elicited reactions from users, through comments or likes, in at least 2% of the content published).
The provisions concern, in particular, measures on commercial communications, the protection of fundamental human rights, minors and the values of sport, providing for a mechanism of reminders and orders to remove or adapt content. In the case of content with product placement, influencers are required to display a notice highlighting the advertising nature of the content in a readily and immediately recognisable manner. The Guidelines also provide for the launch of a Technical Table for the adoption of a code of conduct defining the measures to be followed by influencers.
The approved Guidelines define a set of rules aimed at influencers operating in Italy who reach, among other things, at least one million followers on the various platforms or social media on which they operate and have exceeded on at least one platform or social media an average engagement rate of 2% or more (i.e., who have elicited reactions from users, through comments or likes, in at least 2% of the content published).
The provisions concern, in particular, measures on commercial communications, the protection of fundamental human rights, minors and the values of sport, providing for a mechanism of reminders and orders to remove or adapt content. In the case of content with product placement, influencers are required to display a notice highlighting the advertising nature of the content in a readily and immediately recognisable manner. The Guidelines also provide for the launch of a Technical Table for the adoption of a code of conduct defining the measures to be followed by influencers.
