On Friday, the Belgian e-commerce federation BeCommerce launched a trust label for online safety certifications that are specific to online advertising undertaken by influencers. Influencers will have to comply with European directives and those of the FPS Economy to obtain it.
Online fraud has risen sharply in recent years. The number of fraudulent advertising reports to the FPS Economy has increased fivefold between 2020 and 2021, rising sharply to €8.6 million worth of fraud.
BeCommerce notes that Black Friday has also become the day of online fraud, with prices raised in advance to set up "fake discounts" afterwards, or misleading advertising. Products from fraudulent websites are often promoted on social media such as TikTok and Instagram.
The industry federation has collaborated with the former State Secretary for Consumer Affairs, Eva De Bleeker, now replaced by Alexia Bertrand, and has developed a new trust mark for influencers to ensure the safety of advertisements on social networks.
The trustmark will indicate whether influencers are in compliance with legislation, similar to the BeCommerce label for online shops. Content creators active on social media will have to comply with a number of obligations, including complying with the advertising provisions of the Code of Economic Law.
According to European legislation on the Digital Services Act (DSA), influencers are also required to publish appropriate posts that are not misleading or illegal.
"With the development of this trustmark, we are taking another step towards a safe internet environment for Belgian consumers," says Sofie Geeroms, managing director of BeCommerce.
