Davies partner Jim Dinning was quoted in a CBC article about a growing trend among Canadian athletes and other influencers who are tagging paid social media posts with #sponsored or #ad on their feeds.

The rise of influencers making sponsored posts has highlighted the lack of clarity regarding how these posts should be regulated. Jim notes that there “aren’t any specific rules or guidance by [Canada’s] Competition Bureau that look at social media influencers,” and that the “legislation is broad enough to capture any deceptive advertising practice.”

Jim also points out that “any information shared that isn’t an independent view that influences a person’s buying decision should be clearly and accurately labelled as advertising.” Advertising Standards Canada agrees with this point of view, having updated its guidelines to require influencers to disclose when posts are paid advertisements.