ASCI rules kick in from today

Social media influencers, who can impact the purchase decisions of millions of their followers, will be required to disclose paid promotions as influencer guidelines kick in from June 14. The advertising industry regulator Advertising standards Council of India (ASCI) will start scanning digital content asking influencers to prominently label promotional content, avoid using filters on paid content and do appropriate due diligence about products or services they promote.

To actively monitor social media platforms for defaulters, ASCI has partnered with a French technology provider, Reech, which will use artificial intelligence (AI) to scan digital content.

“Of course, one cannot monitor 100% of the internet 100% of the time. We plan to deploy this technology to do scans of different platforms, influencers and categories from time-to-time,” said Manisha Kapoor, secretarygeneral, ASCI.

In case of a complaint, the advertiser can ask the influencer to delete or edit an advertisement or the disclosure label to adhere to the ASCI code and guidelines. The influencer-related complaints will be a part of the ASCI monthly consumer complaint report.

“Our aim is to educate people and make influencer marketing responsible. We are not a penalising body but defaulters will be asked to take down the ads or make a correction. We are willing to go down to the path of education, constant dialogue and clarify doubts while these guidelines are being implemented,” said Kapoor.