(US) FTC rules creators can no longer buy fake followers or engagement
(US) FTC rules creators can no longer buy fake followers or engagement
The FTC issued a new rule saying creators and brands can't buy fake followers or engagement on accounts they use to make money.
I'm curious about everyone's thoughts on this. Do we think it will affect Canadian influencers? Maybe not yet, but I'd like to believe it's only a matter of time before a similar law finds its way up north.. and oh man, that day will be DELICIOUS.
That’s a good decision as it will increase transparency.
Pierre Poilievre will be displeased.
Unfortunately I doubt it’ll extend to politicians although it absolutely should!
Yes!
I just posted the same thing in another sub on reddit. I thought the same thing. Sure hope 🇨🇦 follows suit. Oh what a glorious day that will be.
Sarah can be reported to the FTC now. She markets to the USA. It looks like the FTC is looking into brands and mega influencers first. Sarah can also be reported for making false reviews or being paid to review. The fine is $50,000. In 60 days we will be able to report. The information and documentation of on TheBirdsPapaya gaining more followers than Celine Dion in May-June could be sent in.
Consumers will be able to report violations and it looks like consumers will be able to seek compensation. If Sarah has been paid to review a product, that's now a violation. It looks like PR companies could face fines for violations. Let's start a 60 day countdown clock. Meta and Amazon are facing GOV lawsuits for operating in anticompetitive ways. Fingers crossed that consumers report the frauds and they get slapped with a few $50,000 fines.
Let’s hope she’s the first to get caught… 🍿
Seems like they'd need proof of purchase that can be easily hidden via crypto or temporary cards etc. What's stopping me from buying followers for Markiplier and framing him?
read the FTC document, it's a 160 pages of how and more documents are on their way. It seems pretty easy to prove bots and instragram has a feature where users can delete bots. Large amounts of bots on an account will be considered purchased. Looks like the FTC isn't fucking around. Note the wording- "This prohibition is limited to situations in which the buyer knew or should have known that the indicators were fake."
Many of us still have screen shots of bot comments on TBP posts. Exact comments are repeated and made by bot accounts. Stacks of evidence., In 60 days Michael and Michael of the FTC will be keen to showcase the FTC enforcement actions.
Not to be pessimistic but I don’t think this is going to go down the way we want it too. Their primary focus is abolishing fake reviews. And while she has a US audience it won’t impact her quite the same as if she lived in the US. If anything it will be a slap on the wrist and she’ll go on her merry way still buying followers.
How do you endore something like this when I could buy some monero or whatever the current "privacy" coin is and buy engagement from some random bot farm in some 3rd or 2nd world country?
Someone answered below, but in case you don't see it--this statute specifically includes instances where the creator knew, or should have known, that increased numbers were fake. So, even if someone is able to buy 25k followers with crypto anonymously, a case could be made that such a sudden increase of thousands of new followers/views/comments/etc for no discernable reason is suspicious enough that the person in control of the account should have known it isn't organic and taken steps to rectify the situation.
The particular influencer this sub is about is one of those people who purchases new followers in the tens of thousands daily. She is in egregious violation, whether or not the receipt is in her actual name.