ASCI issues disclosure guidelines for LinkedIn influencers

In March 2024, online influencer Amit Kumar promoted Melting Pot Concepts (Asitis ATOM—The Power Within) on LinkedIn without disclosing his relationship with the brand. Similarly, in the same month and year, another influencer, Amit Sharma, endorsed Parag Milk Foods (Avvatar range of products)—again, without disclosing his arrangement with the company.

Readers will recall that in early 2023, the online influencer Ankur Warikoo promoted the World Startup Convention on LinkedIn, appealing to people to attend the event. However, as the convention was a scam, Warikoo claimed non-allegiance, asking the event organisers to remove ads that used his video.

In recent times, there have been several cases of professionals talking positively about certain products or services and even advertising campaigns on LinkedIn without revealing that they are part of those campaigns. Such posts tend to mislead audiences, who may believe that the views represented by these professionals are unbiased or not influenced by any collaborations.

The malpractice of influencers misusing the LinkedIn platform to promote brands without disclosing their relationship with those brands has become so rampant that this month, in a single week of January 2025, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) noticed 60 such cases. 56 of these cases are now under review for violations related to non-disclosure of material connections.

As a good practice, several vigilant professionals who regularly use LinkedIn have started tagging ASCI when they find any posts with suspeciously promotional inclination.

Given such rising instances of non-disclosure, ASCI has come up with an advisory for LinkedIn influencers, asking them to strictly comply with guidelines requiring disclosure of material connections with brands, services, or advertisers they promote. Considering that, unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn does not provide platform disclosure tools, ASCI has advised influencers to display the permitted disclosure terms like 'Ad' or 'Partnership' with their posts.

Mentioning that influencers must familiarise themselves with ASCI Guidelines and CCPA requirements, ASCI, in its advisory, has directed influencers to disclose any relationship they may have with an advertiser that could affect the content’s credibility. The disclosure must be clear, upfront, and not hidden within hashtags or links.

To help influencers comply with these regulations, ASCI offers 'The Responsible Influencing Playbook', an e-learning certification course with modules on regulatory requirements, understanding disclosures, and how influencers can safeguard themselves. The course aims to enhance one's skills in responsible influencing and contributing to a community rooted in trust and transparency.

"LinkedIn influencers are seasoned professionals and trusted voices in their respective fields. This makes it all the more important for them to lead by example when it comes to responsible influencing. Being transparent about material connections is mandated both by the ASCI Code and the CCPA guidelines. The advisory is a direct reminder that such non-disclosures could lead to a loss of credibility for violators, as well as possible action by the regulators,” said Manisha Kapoor, secretary general and CEO, ASCI.