Social networks: the Senate in turn attacks the practices of influencers

Reinforcement of sanctions, new bans… After the National ***embly, the Senate tackled this Tuesday a bill aimed at better regulate the activity of influencers and fight against excesses on social networks. Adopted unanimously at first reading at the end of March by the deputies, this transpartisan text, supported by Bercy, gives a legal definition to influencers and prohibits certain practices.

With an estimated number of 150,000 influencers in France, of which only 15% would carry out this activity full time, this booming sector is in the sights of ***ociations, but also of the government, which has hired the accelerated procedure on this text. For the Minister of SMEs Olivia Grégoire, it is “an expected bill”, which “comes to fill a legal void” and responds to “a popular demand for better regulation”.

The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) has published a damning study on their practices. The rapper Booba also served as a sounding board by attacking the high priestess of influencers Magali Berdah, who called him a “stalker”.

The influencer was heard by the rapporteur for the text in the Senate, Amel Gacquerre (centrist), the rapper having for his part indicated that he would not go to the Luxembourg Palace. “I’m not looking to do politics, just to unmask these influencers and fight the culture of emptiness. I let you do your job. Condemn them, punish them, thank you,” he tweeted.

A single mention “Advertising”

To the prohibitions of certain practices provided for by the text, such as promotion of cosmetic surgerythe senators added in committee the ban on the promotion of the****utic abstention, nicotine sachets whose sale on the Internet is growing among adolescents, or even subscriptions to sports betting predictions.

They also want to force influencers promoting gambling to display a notice: “Forbidden to under eighteen years old”. Senators also tightened penalties if the advertising bans are not respected or if an influencer conceals the true commercial intention of his publication: up to two years’ imprisonment (instead of 6 months in the text voted by the deputies) and a fine of 300,000 euros.

They have provided that influencers have the obligation to display the unique mention “Adverti*****t” on their commercial publications. On the other hand, as in the ***embly, amendments to prohibit the promotion of gambling and gambling, alcoholic beverages or food products that are too fatty, salty or sweet were rejected in committee.