A New Code of Conduct Introduced by the India Influencer Governing Council

Industry stakeholders have united to propose a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) just a few months after reports emerged that the government was considering the implementation of a code of conduct for social media influencers. The SRO, also known as the India Influencer Governing Council (IIGC), is made up of representatives from influencer marketing firms, content producers, and digital platforms such as Google, Meta, and JioHotstar, as well as significant advertisers. In order to guarantee that influencers' content is "legal, honest, transparent, and respectful of societal values", the council has published an 89-page "code of standards". According to the document, the framework will also try to safeguard responsible content creation, safeguard consumer interests, encourage equity in influencer marketing, and stop harmful or deceptive messages. Members of the body are not legally bound by the standards.

Code of Conduct has 20 Sections

The 20 sections of the IIGC's code of conduct cover some of the major issues that India's influencer ecosystem faces. These issues include measurement metrics, AI influencers, payment compliance, the legitimacy of the products being promoted, sexual content and nudity, prohibitions on alcohol and gambling, data privacy, and customer redressal, among other things. According to reports, the IIGC had a meeting in Mumbai to talk about the problems facing the creative economy. At the occasion, the council unveiled the first-of-its-kind Indian Influencer Ratings, a weekly list that highlights the "most impactful influencers and brand campaigns" in India. According to reports, IIGC founding member and Publicis Content MD Hari Krishnan stated that the council was established to address the main issues facing the influencer market, such as a lack of standards, brand control, and creator inexperience. The council is creating a decentralised self-regulatory organisation with representation from all areas of the ecosystem, Krishnan continued. The code is intended to discourage unethical behaviour while rewarding ethical innovators.

SRO to Extend Similar Guidelines for Other Domains as Well

The report states that SRO intends to soon provide such standards to agencies, platforms, companies, and even consumers. This development closely follows podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia's contentious remarks. After this, rumours circulated that the Centre was considering implementing a system to monitor social media influencers with more than 50 lakh followers. The proposed guidelines, which will be announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, are intended to prevent the dissemination of offensive and vulgar content. Online celebrities may be required to designate ratings to their content and include disclaimers as necessary under the new regulations.