The Federal Trade Commission sent letters to 45 people after receiving complaints from Public Citizen, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and the Center for Digital Democracy, reports Billboard. The groups pointed out in their letters that Instagram “has become a platform for disguised advertising directed towards young consumers.” And that, according to the organizations, is against the law.
The letters explain that posts that endorse products without disclosing financial gains are against the law.
The advocacy groups requested an investigation into these matters and asked for actions to be taken to enforce regulations for non-disclosed advertising through “influencer” profiles on Instagram.
The complaints were sparked after the catastrophe that was the Fyre Festival.
Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Baldwin were among the influencers called, “Fyre Starters,” who promoted the event. They have all been named in lawsuits and could potentially face litigation for marketing the festival without disclosing financial compensation.
The complaint letter to the FTC also mentioned Instagram posts from Rihanna and One Direction, though neither of them were in follow-up letters the FTC wrote and released on May 4, following a Freedom of Information Act filed by Womens Wear Daily.
Also among the recipients of the FTC letters were Victoria Beckham, Vanessa Hudgens and Akon. Others who received the FTC guidance letters included Lucy Hale, Naomi Campell, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum, Amber Rose, Jamie Lynn Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Allen Iverson.