Several parliamentarians have tabled similar bills to more frankly regulate the sector of influence on the net. This, while a consultation is underway on the supervision of these activities.
The hunt for abuse among influencers, the new battle horse of French parliamentarians? It has to be said, in any case, that this is a subject of concern for several deputies. The proof: for a few weeks, the texts of laws to regulate the sector have flourished in the National Assembly. At least four texts are listed.
The first to have drawn is Aurélien Taché, mid-November, with a bill aimed at regulating commercial and advertising practices related to the influence market on the Internet. A member of Europe Écologie-Les Verts (EELV), he was joined by his colleagues – who moreover submitted another text, this time on the aspect of prevention and repression.
The text, submitted in December by Nadège Abomangoli, of the La France Insoumise group, received the support of other elected officials, including Aurélien Taché. Here it is ” strengthen the prevention of illicit commercial practices linked to the influence market on the Internet and to strengthen the fight against these practices “. A third text, from the Socialist Party, was also filed in December.
And it doesn’t stop there. The Sunday Journal reports in its January 12 edition that the subject has gone beyond the parliamentary left. A text from the Renaissance group (formerly La République en Marche) will soon be submitted by Stéphane Vojetta. The interested party pleaded in favor of a common transpartisan text, in particular with the PS.
60% anomalies among very large influencers
The proliferation of texts comes in response to the growing media coverage of influencers, who are aimed at audiences that are sometimes large, several million people. However, part of this visibility is also caused by controversies, whether disguised advertisements, scams or dubious business models.
In charge of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire returned to this issue, taking up the conclusions of the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), to highlight the extent of the problem. It appears that out of the sixty very large French influencers controlled since 2021, almost 60% (six cases out of ten) of them ” have abnormalities “.
” Among those in violation, all systematically omitted the indication of their commercial intention in their publications “, indicated the minister on Twitter. There was also the illegal promotion of medical practices and sports betting advice sites. Others have made prohibited health claims or run prohibited lotteries.
These cases are in the process of being brought to justice, the minister slipped in passing. “These practices will be sanctioned at the end of the procedures initiated. No one is above the law. No one should feel untouchable”. On the side of social networks, on the other hand, it is radio silence — like Instagram which didn’t want to speak about influencers posting scams.
Until the end of January, a public consultation is proposed on the profession of influencers. Beyond the issue of scams, the call for papers aims to deal with all the subjects around these relatively new activities, including very prosaic issues, such as the definition of the profession, the relationship between the influencer and his agent or the need to organize into a federation.
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