Data deal to boost oversight of influencers
The regulators responsible for consumer protection and advertising have signed a data-sharing agreement that they say will improve oversight of social-media platforms.
Under the agreement, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will be able to share information that it receives through its online reporting portal with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), while remaining in line with data-protection laws.
The CCPC says that this will give it greater access to reports from the public of potential breaches of the law.
‘Clearly labelled’
Commission member Patrick Kenny said that consumer law protected consumers when engaging with the commercial content posted by online influencers.
“Commercial content from influencers must be clearly labelled as such and must also not be misleading,” he stated.
The CCPC and the ASA produced guidance for influencers in 2023 to help them follow the law.
“This year we issued our first compliance notices against two prominent influencers. We continue to monitor this sector closely and will act where we see breaches here,” Kenny said.
Enforcement tools
The CCPC says that the new deal means that the ASA can share information about suspected breaches, which the CCPC may investigate further.
The consumer-protection watchdog, as a statutory body, has a range of enforcement tools to ensure that consumer-protection law is adhered to – including compliance notices, fixed-payment notices, undertakings, prohibition orders, and prosecution.
ASA chief executive Orla Twomey described the agreement as “a significant step towards enhancing regulatory outcomes for consumers in Ireland”.
"Social-media advertising has been a key area of our focus, and this agreement is a further strengthening of cooperation between ASA and CCPC,” she concluded.