Indian gov't releases guidelines for celebrities, social media influencers to endorse products

NEW DELHI, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Indian government on Monday released a set of guidelines for celebrities, influencers, and virtual influencers on social media platforms to ensure that they do not mislead their audiences while endorsing products or services.

The guidelines called "Endorsements Know-hows!" were issued by the federal ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution.

"The guidelines aim to ensure that individuals do not mislead their audiences when endorsing products or services and that they are in compliance with the Consumer Protection Act and any associated rules or guidelines," the ministry said.

The guidelines state that endorsements must be made in simple, clear language, and terms such as "advertisement," "sponsored," "collaboration" or "paid promotion".

Individuals must not endorse any product or service that they have not personally used or experienced or in which due diligence has not been done by them, according to the guidelines.

"For endorsements in a picture, disclosures should be superimposed over the image enough for viewers to notice. For endorsements in a video or a live stream, disclosures should be made in both audio and video format and displayed continuously and prominently during the entire stream," said the ministry.

The ministry said it was essential for celebrities, influencers, and virtual influencers to adhere to the released guidelines to maintain transparency and authenticity with their audience.