Brussels cracks down on influencers: new rules against covert advertising and greenwashing

Summary written by AI from que.es, not reviewed by a person. Original linked.

Brussels cracks down on influencers: new rules against covert advertising and greenwashing

The European Commission has proposed a new regulation to combat misleading advertising and dark design patterns, requiring influencers to clearly label commercial collaborations. The measure aims to protect consumers from abusive practices such as silent renewals and planned obsolescence, estimating that regulatory clarity would prevent millions in economic losses over the decade. A central point of the draft is the explicit prohibition of greenwashing, requiring real evidence behind ecological claims and banning the promotion of dangerous products. Additionally, specific safeguards are established to protect minors, restricting the use of their data for advertising purposes and limiting virtual transactions, in response to growing mental health issues linked to excessive social media use. This development is significant for the debate on greenwashing because it transforms unverified environmental labels into a legal offense with serious economic consequences. By allowing substantial fines and levies based on global turnover, the regulation seeks to deter ecological misinformation, although its future implementation depends on complex political negotiations among member states and the European Parliament.

Source: que.es
Published on 2026-11-11