Instagram recently found itself under the spotlight again from the UK’s Competitions Market Authority (CMA), after it was discovered that certain users of the app weren’t quite as forthcoming with some of their posts. In light of that, the Facebook-own social media platform is now on a hunt for users that do not fully disclose if and when a post is an advertisement or sponsored.
Depending on where you’re based, different countries have different rules when posting sponsored or advertised content on social media. In the case of Instagram in the UK, users of the app are required by law to disclose such posts with either the #ad or #sponsored hashtags. In practice, this would inform whoever is following the user that what they are seeing is, in fact, a post that will get them paid.
According to CMA, the government body had found that Facebook itself wasn’t enforcing its rules as diligently as they should for Instagram. Rather than be embroiled in another legal battle – and with an official government body, no less – the social network is making some changes to the way Instagram deals with sponsored posts.
Firstly, the app will now require users to disclose if they are being paid for promoting a product or service through their account. Second, the social media app will now be giving all its users access to its “paid partnership” tool, making it easier for them to inform their followers.
Last but not least, Instagram says that it will now seek out users and influencers that do not disclose their undisclosed sponsored posts, and then proceed to report them to said influencer’s sponsor, in an effort to clamp down on such errant individuals.
