Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) is cracking down on paid social media endorsements with new guidelines for endorsers and influencers coming into effect by early 2017. The new rules will require full disclosure of any paid endorsements or mentions of products and services on social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Canada lags behind the United States where the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) implemented disclosure rules in 2009. Unlike the FTC, ASC is a self-regulating body and not a government agency so it will not have the ability to issue fines.
