FTC Disclosure

The legal requirement to clearly disclose any material connection between a creator and a brand in promotional content.

FTC disclosure rules in the US — and equivalent regulations in the EU (UWG in Germany, ASA in the UK, AGCM in Italy, SKR in Sweden, Loi Influenceurs in France) — require any creator promoting a product to clearly disclose the financial or in-kind relationship. The disclosure must be unambiguous, visible without scrolling or clicking, and use plain language ("#ad", "Paid partnership with X"). Vague or hidden disclosures (#sp, #spon, "Thanks to X" without context) do not comply.

Penalties for non-compliance can include fines to both brand and creator, and in repeat-offender cases, advertising bans. Major brands have been fined seven figures for not enforcing disclosure on creator partners.

Collabios verifies legal-entity compliance at creator onboarding under each market’s national rules (UWG, ASA, AGCM, SKR, Loi Influenceurs, etc.), but the disclosure on each individual post is the creator’s and brand’s shared responsibility — the platform isn’t the publisher.