Social media influencers/bloggers in the UAE must declare if posts are paid, otherwise...

A number of social media influencers do not clearly mention if their posts are "paid advertisements" or a "personal post", the Federal National Council (FNC) heard on Tuesday.

FNC members are calling for "closer observation" over content shared by social media influencers, particularly those on Instagram and Snapchat. The call came after a heated discussion over the role of social media and unlawful brand endorsements, at the FNC headquarters. Members raised their concerns to Dr Sultan Jaber, Minister of State and chairman of the board of the National Media Council (NMC). They stressed that social media influencers, including many "fashionistas", who do not notify the public whether their posts are paid, will soon face potential penalties when the NMC's new electronic media regulations are enforced by the end of June. In February this year, the NMC announced new rules for the use of electronic and social media platforms, which aim to make them more reliable for millions of users in the UAE.

The rules stipulate that any UAE-based social media users who take payments in return for promoting brands, goods and services, must take a licence by the end of June 2018, and those who fail to comply with the new regulations will face fines of up to Dh5,000 and having their social media accounts and related websites or blogs shut down, besides an official warning from the government entity. The regulations also state that an influencer should distinguish between advertisement content and purely personal ones. "This is a business, just like any other, and these social media influencers must be transparent, especially since many of them have hundreds of thousands of followers who trust their judgment," said FNC member Hamad Al Rahoomi. "If you post a video promoting a cafe, you need to inform your followers that you are being paid for it, before being paid." Al Rahoomi pointed out that awareness is crucial when it comes to ensuring that social media followers and consumers' rights are protected. "This is part of consumer protection, yet we still find many social media influencers not abiding by the regulations."