translated from Spanish: Launch bill to regulate influencers’ work on networks

The Sanjuanina Senator Cristina del Carmen López Valverde, of the Front for Victory, together with three legislators from the same space, presented a project that seeks to regulate the advertisements made by influencers – those users who have a significant number of followers – on social networks.

Titled “Legal regime for influencers”, it will be “applicable to any human or legal person who carries out influencer or influencer activity on social networks by running digital advertising services”, meaning digital advertising to those characterized by promoting and disseminating a product or service on digital platforms through the Internet, in mobile applications and programs on digital television. In addition, the project clarifies that unboxings (unpacking and/or revealing products, services and/or experiences offered by the brand/advertiser), sweepstakes or giveaways and photos and videos in which the presence of a trademark is exalted or labeled, as well as any other form of advertisement or promotion viabilized through social networks. On the other hand, those who advertise on their social networks must, if this project be approved, specify with the hashtag #PublicaciónPaga in the case of a paid post and register with the AFIP, which if any of these rules do not comply, would receive fines of more than 16 million pesos.

“Advertising is a central core around which the economy revolves, it is the ideal means of streamlining the market. Advertising can be understood as a set of strategies, channeled by different means of communication, aimed at publicizing products and services to society, thus establishing a dual relationship between the one it offers and the one it consumes. Often for the purpose of increasing sales or installing a new product on the market, the bidder may engage in misleading or abusive advertising,” they argue in the bill.

Original source in Spanish