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These influencers have been investigated for not making Insta ads clear enough

They may face prison time if they break the rules


Sixteen influencers have agreed to change how they post ads on their Insta accounts, after they were investigated to see if they broke consumer law.

The Competition and Markets Authority have warned influencers that online brand endorsements can often be misleading.

The CMA didn't say if the influencers named below breached consumer law, but all of them have volunteered to change how they post future advertisements.

If they fail to follow the CMA guildelines, they may be taken to court and face heavy fines or a prison sentence of up to two years.

The celebrities named by the Competition and Markets Authority are:

'Zoella' Zoe Sugg

Holly Hagan

'Binky' Alexandra Felstead

Megan McKenna

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs6UaNtjJM9

Chloe Sims

https://www.instagram.com/p/Brf-l-JlRVB

Rita Ora

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsHzuWwnUS7

Alexa Chung

Ellie Goulding

Rosie Huntingon-Whiteley

Mario Falcone

Iskra Lawrence

Louise Thompson

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs7ij7qnNMk

Milly Mackintosh

James Chapman

Dina Torkia

Michelle Keegan

According to the BBC, all 16 of the influencers were investigated because they may have broken those advertorial rules repeatedly.

By agreeing to change their posts, the influencers avoided court action which could have lead to fines or even prison time. Officially, it wasn't stated if the stars broke the rules because they weren't taken to court this time.

The CMA says it's not finished with the investigation and has sent more warning letters to more influencers. They're going to investigate other social networks too.

What are the current rules?

The current rules are that influencers must clearly label content they've been paid for with #ad or #sponsored at the beginning of the post, not buried at the end.

They also have to declare promotional gifts they receive from companies and #freebie is the suggested hashtag and each post must be treated in isolation.

The Advertising Standards Authority has launched its own investigation into advertising on social media, after Made In Chelsea's Louise Thompson was flagged up twice for product endorsement.

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