Promoting Authenticity with Influencer Disclaimers Act

Key Points

• This bill requires that any social media or internet content paid for by a political committee must clearly state that the communication was paid for by that committee. This targets influencer marketing in politics, where campaigns pay individuals to post content that may look like organic personal opinions.
• Disclaimers must be easy for the average person to see or hear. For video, text, or graphic posts, the label must be easy to read. For audio content like podcasts, the disclaimer must be spoken clearly.
• Political committees are required to notify the person they are paying about the disclaimer requirement at the time of payment. This shifts some of the compliance burden onto the committees themselves, not just the content creators.
• There are exceptions for content posted on a political committee's own website and for regular staff posting on personal accounts, unless posting on social media is the employee's main job.
• The FEC must write regulations by January 1, 2027, and the new rules take effect on that date regardless of whether the FEC has finished those regulations. This ensures the law cannot be delayed by slow rulemaking.