Legal

Influencers face crisis of confidence in light of CMA investigation

Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it has launched an investigation into influencers who fail to disclose that they were compensated to post content on behalf of brands.

“Social media stars can have a big influence on what their followers do and buy. If people see clothes, cosmetics, a car, or a holiday being plugged by someone they admire, they might be swayed into buying it,” George Lusty, the CMA’s Senior Director for Consumer Protection, stated. “So, it’s really important they are clearly told whether a celebrity is promoting a product because they have bought it themselves, or because they have been paid or thanked in some way by the brand.”

gdpr explosion

Confusion, chaos in the GDPR’s first week

The GDPR hasn’t even been the law of the land in Europe for a full week and it is already causing confusion and chaos in parts of the digital economy.

Here are the headlines you need to know about as the impact of the GDPR starts being felt.

GDPR Day 1: complaints filed against Google and Facebook

After months of anticipation and preparation, on Friday, the GDPR went into effect and privacy advocates, eager to put the law to the test, wasted no time challenging the practices of the internet’s two biggest names.

Hours after the GDPR became the law of the land, a non-profit organization called None Of Your Business (NOYB) lodged complaints against Google and Facebook, including Facebook subsidiaries Instagram and WhatsApp, with four different European authorities.