Consumer Protection

Subject: Polity

Draft guidelines soon for social media influencers, must disclose brand links

The Department of Consumer Affairshas prepared draft guidelines for social media influencers which make it mandatory for them to disclose their association with the product they endorse.
Under the new guidelines, a person endorsing a company’s product on social media will have to disclose whether he/ she has been paid by the company.
He/ she will have to disclose his/ her association with that brand. Besides, the influencers will need to put disclaimers in such endorsement posts.
The Department of Consumer Affairs had held a meeting with e-commerce entities and stakeholders to discuss the “magnitude of fake reviews and prepare the roadmap ahead”.

Advertising Standards Council of India

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) is a voluntary self-regulatory organization of the advertising industry in India.
Established in 1985, ASCI is registered as a non-profit company under section 25 of the Company Act
ASCI looks into complaints across ALL MEDIA such as Print, TV, Radio, hoardings, SMS, Emailers, Internet/web-site, product packaging, brochures, promotional material and point of sale material etc.