Digital Fairness Act: Practical Recommendations

Publications > Policy

Digital Fairness Act:

Recommendations for the upcoming proposal

Published: July 9th, 2026

The European Commission is currently drafting its upcoming proposal for the Digital Fairness Act, a legislation aimed, among others, at strengthening consumer protection against misleading influencer marketing.

WHAT TO FIX led an open letter signed by 15 organizations and academics, recommending that Influencer Marketing Rules Encompass All Platform Monetization Services.

The letter called for the following transparency around platform payouts to content creators and publishers:

Content labels indicating when a post, video, or stream benefits from platform monetization features
Account labels indicating when an account participates in monetization programs or has monetization features enabled
Monetization libraries or equivalent public repositories that allow stakeholders to understand who benefits from platforms’ monetization programs and features, and enable independent oversight
Transparency around platforms’ monetization governance, including the applicable policies, moderation processes, and enforcement metrics relevant to the rollout of their monetization programs and features

WHAT TO FIX IN INFLUENCER MARKETING

Our proposed fixes expand on already available transparency features to account for platform-facilitated revenue generation:

1️⃣ CONTENT LABELS

Users should be able to easily identify if a content they engage with is subject to a financial reward or remuneration from platforms.

2️⃣ ACCOUNT LABELS

Users should be able to easily check which platform monetization services an account they engage with is registered for.

3️⃣ ACCOUNT TRANSPARENCY

Users should be able to access monetization information as part of an account’s transparency.

4️⃣ MONETIZATION LIBRARY

Users should be able to easily review the full monetization history of the accounts they interact with.

5️⃣ REPORTING MECHANISM

Users should be able to easily report monetizing accounts and content that violate platforms’ policies or the law.

6️⃣ ENFORCEMENT REPORT

Users should be able to review platforms’ enforcement of their monetization terms and policies and assess progress over time.

7️⃣ MONETIZATION PREVALENCE

Users should be able to understand how much of the violating activity on platforms comes from accounts the platform itself monetizes.

8️⃣ TRANSPARENCY CENTER

Users should be able to easily access information on platforms’ approach to monetization governance within existing transparency centers.

WHY MONETIZATION TRANSPARENCY FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION?

Influencers’ brand marketing represents only one form of online monetization.

Social media monetization services encompass the various programs, features and functionalities that platforms offer to content creators and publishers to enable them to earn revenue from their on-platform activity. These services range from revenue-sharing schemes and creator funds to subscriptions, gifts, bonuses, and other performance-based rewards.

At present, consumers in the European Union have no structured way of knowing whether the content they encounter is generating earnings or receiving payouts from platforms.

As with influencer marketing, the absence of such information can contribute to an erosion of trust in digital platforms and the online information environment.

Monetization enables –and shapes– content creation.

Understanding the business model behind the content that is created and uploaded to our feeds is key to restoring trust in our online information ecosystem.

Consumers deserve the full context on the content they consume.

Beyond influencer marketing, consumers should have information to understand how brands, audiences, and platforms themselves influence content production.

Read the full document of practical recommendations→

All items