MEPs unanimously approved in committee a socialist bill for greater regulation of the influencer sector, which has been the subject of criticism and criticism in recent months due to accusations of scams and abuse.
The excesses of certain influencers have recently come to light. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced the removal of a series of accounts followed by millions of people, including those of the couple Marc and Nadé Blata, the subject of a collective action for an alleged large-scale scam. The General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Prevention has also published a damning study on its business practices.
Last year, a highly publicized conflict served as a sounding board: it pits rapper Booba against Magali Berdah, head of the big influencer agency Shauna Events. The first accuses the second of promoting scams. In return, she accuses him of cyber bullying. The court opened two investigations.
The government launched a public consultation and several deputies addressed the issue, including Arthur Delaporte, PS deputy for Calvados. In his text, he proposes creating a legal status for the influencer and prohibiting the promotion on social networks and platforms of “pharmaceutical products”, medical devices and surgical procedures, in particular aesthetic ones, with the exception of government public health campaigns. He also intends to ban the promotion of risky financial contracts, certain digital assets, or risky investments in cryptocurrency books or NFTs.
Prohibition of alcoholic beverages.
The deputies reinforced the initial text, by voting for the prohibition of the promotion of sports betting and horse riding, games of chance or even alcoholic beverages.
Mr. Delaporte’s text, approved unanimously in committee, is on the menu for the public session of the Assembly on February 9, as part of a day reserved for the socialist group. But if the short time does not allow its examination, he would be integrated into a joint bill with the Renaissance deputy Stéphane Vojetta, which will be studied at the end of March in the Chamber.
This text provides, in particular, for measures to regulate influencer agents and to “empower” social media platforms by imposing an alert system to report illegal promotions. It also aims to force platforms to control posts after a certain number of reports.
Source: BFM TV
