# Influencer marketing and advertising disclosure Three layers, three enforcers. A collaboration can be lawful under one and unlawful under another. | Layer | Instrument | Enforcer | |---|---|---| | Audiovisual media regulation | TUSMA + AGCOM guidelines and code of conduct | AGCOM | | Consumer protection | artt. 20-23 Codice del Consumo (pratiche commerciali scorrette) | AGCM | | Self-regulation | Codice di Autodisciplina della Comunicazione Commerciale + Digital Chart | IAP (Giurì) | ## AGCOM — the influencer regime **Delibera 7/24/CONS of 10 January 2024**, *Linee-guida volte a garantire il rispetto delle disposizioni del Testo unico da parte degli influencer e istituzione di un apposito Tavolo tecnico*. It extends obligations from the **TUSMA** (Testo unico dei servizi di media audiovisivi, D.Lgs 8 novembre 2021 n. 208) to influencers. Verified on agcom.it. **This has since been amended — do not cite the 2024 thresholds.** **Delibera 197/25/CONS**, adopted **23 July 2025**, published **5 August 2025**, *Modifiche alle linee guida di cui alla delibera n. 7/24/CONS e approvazione del codice di condotta rivolto agli influencer*. Verified on agcom.it. Status as at 2026-08-05. Current position under the amended guidelines, as stated by AGCOM: - an **influencer rilevante** is one who reaches, on at least one platform, **at least 500,000 followers** **or** **1,000,000 average monthly views** - follower count is measured on the thirtieth day before the notification is submitted; monthly views are averaged over the preceding six months - relevant influencers must file a **notification for AGCOM's public register**, with a deadline of **5 February 2026** (six months from publication) and an update whenever the thresholds are crossed in either direction - registration is a transparency measure, not a professional qualification - promotional content must be **immediately recognisable as advertising**, with a clear label such as **"Pubblicità"**, **"ADV"** or **"Sponsorizzato da …"** - protection of minors and respect for fundamental rights apply to all content published by a relevant influencer - non-compliance leads to warnings (*diffide*) and proportionate sanctions Consequences for a brand, not just for the creator: - below the thresholds the AGCOM regime does not bite, but the AGCM and IAP layers still do. "My influencer has 40,000 followers" is not a disclosure exemption. - the brand cannot outsource the disclosure duty. An undisclosed paid post is the brand's misleading practice as much as the creator's. - put the disclosure obligation, the exact wording, its placement and an audit right into the collaboration contract. Verbal briefings are not evidence. [[UNVERIFIED: which specific TUSMA articles the AGCOM guidelines hook into, and whether delibera 197/25/CONS has been challenged before the TAR Lazio. The delibera numbers, dates, thresholds and the 5 February 2026 registration deadline were confirmed on agcom.it; the article-level TUSMA anchoring and any pending litigation were not. Check agcom.it before asserting either.]] ## AGCM — undisclosed advertising as an unfair practice Advertising that is not recognisable as such is a misleading omission. The B2C regime sits in **artt. 18 to 27 Codice del Consumo** (Parte II, Titolo III, Capo II); AGCM enforces it under art. 27, with a fine range of **EUR 5,000 to 10,000,000** (art. 27 comma 9, as replaced by D.Lgs 26/2023), a minimum of EUR 50,000 for art. 21 commi 3 and 4 practices, and up to 4% of turnover for widespread cross-border infringements (comma 9-bis). **D.Lgs 2 aprile 2007 n. 145** is the parallel act, but its art. 1 states its purpose is *tutelare i professionisti* — it is the **B2B** misleading-advertising regime and does not govern consumer-facing influencer posts. This layer has **no threshold at all**. It reaches a micro-creator, a brand's own employee posting about the product, and affiliate links. Recent enforcement, verified on agcm.it: - **PS12815, provvedimento n. 31573, adunanza 28 maggio 2025** — *Big Luca / Luca De Stefani*, **EUR 60,000** total (EUR 40,000 + EUR 20,000). Practice A expressly included promoting online *senza, peraltro utilizzare, nelle comunicazioni commerciali, alcuna dicitura di advertisement*; practice B concerned fake reviews and endorsements under art. 23 comma 1 lett. bb-ter) and bb-quater) - **PS12818, provvedimento n. 31576, adunanza 28 maggio 2025** — *Michele Leka*, **EUR 5,000**, artt. 20, 21, 22 - four parallel 2025 cases closed with binding commitments including the insertion of advertising disclaimers The 2024 Ferragni Easter-eggs case (PS12699) closed with **commitments**, not a fine. Do not cite it as a sanction. ## IAP — Codice di Autodisciplina and Digital Chart The **Istituto dell'Autodisciplina Pubblicitaria** binds members of the self-regulatory system and anyone who has accepted the code by contract — in practice most Italian agencies and many advertisers, because the acceptance clause is standard in media contracts. The Giurì can order a post down quickly, long before an AGCM proceeding concludes. **Codice di Autodisciplina della Comunicazione Commerciale, 71ª edizione, in force from 30 ottobre 2024, art. 7**, verbatim: > **Art. 7 – Identificazione della comunicazione commerciale** > La comunicazione commerciale deve sempre essere riconoscibile come tale. Nei mezzi e nelle forme di comunicazione commerciale in cui vengono diffusi contenuti e informazioni di altro genere, la comunicazione commerciale deve essere nettamente distinta per mezzo di idonei accorgimenti. Per quanto riguarda talune forme di comunicazione commerciale diffuse attraverso internet, i principali idonei accorgimenti sono indicati nel Regolamento Digital Chart. **Regolamento Digital Chart, versione approvata il 30 ottobre 2024.** Verified on iap.it. **Trap: the PDF still linked from IAP's Digital Chart landing page is the superseded 2020 version. The binding text is the HTML page dated 30 ottobre 2024.** Accepted wordings under the 2024 edition: | Situation | Accepted wording | |---|---| | Paid relationship, art. 1.1 (money, goods, invitations, use of services or other consideration) | **pubblicità** or **advertising**; alternatively *promosso da … brand* / *promoted by … brand*, *sponsorizzato da … brand* / *sponsored by … brand*, or **adv/ad + brand** | | Gifted product without a commissioning relationship, art. 3.1 | *prodotto inviato da … brand*, *product gifted by … brand*, *product sent by … brand* | | Event invitation or free use of a service, art. 3.2 | *invitato/a da … brand* / *invited by … brand* | | Discount codes and affiliate links, art. 4 | *link affiliato + brand* / *affiliate link + brand*, **together with** an art. 1 wording | | In-feed advertising units, art. 6 | *Pubblicità/Advertising*, *Promosso da … brand*, *Sponsorizzato da … brand*, *Contenuto Sponsorizzato*, *Post Sponsorizzato*, *Presentato da … brand*, with their English equivalents | Art. 5: no disclaimer is needed for self-promotion where the promoted work or brand coincides with the influencer's own name. Two corrections to wordings that circulate widely and are **not** valid under the 2024 edition: - **"in collaborazione con"** appeared only in the superseded 2020 version. It is not in the current endorsement list - **"#suppliedby"** does not appear in the Italian Digital Chart at all, in either version. It is a UK convention The 2024 text writes the wordings **without** the `#` prefix. The hashtag rule is positional, not a separate vocabulary. ## Placement, as the Digital Chart states it The general rule: the disclosure must be *di immediata visibilità, senza la necessità di ulteriori azioni da parte dell'utente*, and it must be **preserved on reshares and reposts** across platforms. - **Post**: as the first item of information. Where hashtags are used, one of the wordings must appear **within the first three hashtags** - **Audio**: in the description and spoken at the start - **Video**: as the first written information in the description, plus a written overlay in the opening scenes, repeated during livestreams - **Stories and ephemeral content** (art. 1.2): overlaid visibly on **every** promotional item Additional practical points: English-only tags on Italian-language content aimed at Italian consumers are weak — use an Italian wording. The platform's own "paid partnership" toggle is useful but not sufficient on its own. A bio-level disclosure never covers individual posts. ## Template — contract clause for a collaboration ```html

Obblighi di trasparenza

Il creator si obbliga a rendere immediatamente riconoscibile la natura pubblicitaria di ogni contenuto realizzato in esecuzione del presente accordo, mediante l'indicazione "Pubblicità", "Advertising", "Sponsorizzato da [[marchio]]" o "Promosso da [[marchio]]", collocata:

Qualora il prodotto sia stato inviato senza alcun corrispettivo e senza incarico, il creator utilizza la dicitura "prodotto inviato da [[marchio]]". In caso di codici sconto o link affiliati il creator utilizza la dicitura "link affiliato + [[marchio]]" in aggiunta alla dicitura di cui sopra.

Le diciture sono mantenute in caso di ripubblicazione o condivisione del contenuto su altre piattaforme.

Il creator dichiara di [[superare / non superare]] le soglie di influencer rilevante stabilite dall'Autorità per le garanzie nelle comunicazioni e si obbliga a comunicare per iscritto a [[marchio]] ogni variazione rilevante entro [[termine]] giorni.

[[Marchio]] ha diritto di verificare la conformità dei contenuti pubblicati e di richiederne la modifica o la rimozione entro [[termine]] ore dalla segnalazione.

``` ## Checkpoints - [ ] Every paid or incentivised post carries a disclosure as the first item of information - [ ] Where hashtags are used, the disclosure sits within the first three hashtags - [ ] The wording is one of those in the 30.10.2024 Digital Chart — not "in collaborazione con", not "#suppliedby" - [ ] The disclosure is in Italian for Italian-language content - [ ] Gifted products disclosed as *prodotto inviato da …* - [ ] Affiliate links and discount codes disclosed with the affiliate wording **plus** an art. 1 wording - [ ] Stories: overlay on every promotional item, not one frame - [ ] Disclosure preserved on reshares and reposts - [ ] Employee and founder posts about own products disclosed - [ ] Follower and view figures of each collaborator recorded, so the AGCOM threshold question is answered on evidence - [ ] If a collaborator is a relevant influencer, registration status confirmed - [ ] Disclosure duty and placement written into the contract, with an audit right - [ ] Screenshots of published posts archived — the brand carries the burden of showing the disclosure existed - [ ] No reliance on a bio disclosure or on the platform toggle alone - [ ] All `[[…]]` placeholders resolved or reported as open