With the increased use of social media, individuals and companies are always on the lookout for continuous ways to market and advertise their products or service.

Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and LinkedIn are viewed as public activities and regardless of the users’ privacy controls or the size of their followers list, they have now become regulated in order to responsibly advertise and promote on social media.

The newly introduced regulatory and licensing requirements by the UAE National Media Counsel was enacted in 2018 which decided to put governance measures on online advertisements, products placement, marketing and commercials posted on social media.

As residents of the UAE, the holders of these social media accounts; which could be celebrities, famous makeup artists and fashion icons, that use their social media pages and platforms to endorse or market brands and their products, or any person who generates revenue from advertisements on such platforms, will be required to license themselves and formalize their online activity by establishing a legal entity. An individual license is available for the influencers at UAE 15,000 plus a trade license; a partnership license at UAE 15,000 plus a trade license. The license is available to legally operate in UAE, and some influencers feel their profession is more protected and legitimized as it distinguishes fake social media influencers from genuine ones.

Along with registry, the NMC outline explicit obligations on the social media content to ensure the posted materials are in compliance with the new regulations.

Below are a list of some of the new regulations of the Social Media Influencer License:

• Take full responsibility of all published content under their social media account and this obligation is applicable regardless if the activity is licensed or not
• Must maintain records of paid marketing and advertising for a 12 month period after posting the content.
• Under certain circumstances, the influencer is obliged to monitor their social media accounts and restrict certain types of comments and contributions made by third parties, namely those made in violation of media content measures or considered as crime according to the UAE applicable regulations.
• Posts should be in compliance with media content rules, regulations and policies. The content for instance should in compliance with moralities, public orders and the UAE regulations

Hire a Social Media lawyer

When facing a shortage of information regarding licensing, always seek assistance from specialized lawyers who can advise you to ensure compliance with local regulations when generating business and revenues from such social media accounts. Lawyers can assist in proper licensing, the removal of offensive materials, control accounts and build cooperation between individuals and companies alike.

If you are having any issues as a Social Media Influencer or you are a company interested in learning more about Marketing & E-commerce, Contact Us at 04 336 8833 or email on info@alkhoulilaw.com