The European Commission has unveiled a draft Digital Fairness Act aimed at curbing manipulative app and gaming practices, including dark patterns, hard-to-cancel subscriptions, loot boxes, and ads targeting minors. Companies that violate the rules could face fines of up to 6% of annual global revenue. The proposal also pushes for centralized enforcement power at the EU level rather than relying solely on member states.
engadget.com
· 2026-11-11
The European Commission published a draft Digital Fairness Act that would regulate online manipulation, including banning gambling-like loot box mechanics for minors, requiring opt-outs for addictive design features like autoplay and endless scrolling, and mandating clearer influencer ad disclosures. The proposal also targets misleading pricing claims, unfair personalized ads aimed at children, and hard-to-cancel subscriptions.
theverge.com
· 2026-11-11
At TechCrunch Disrupt, 19-year-old Zach Yadegari explained how his calorie-tracking app Cal AI grew by paying a large number of influencers to post about the product, negotiating payouts tied to audience reach. He said the company, founded in 2024, generated over $30 million in revenue in two years before being acquired by MyFitness in March for an undisclosed sum.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-15
A Morning Consult survey of roughly 2,000 U.S. adults conducted for Business Insider found that 61% of people earning over $100,000 a year trust influencers' product recommendations, compared with about half of those earning less. High earners were also more likely to say their trust in influencers has grown in recent years and to express interest in becoming influencers themselves.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-12
OpenAI has expanded its influencer marketing, more than doubling sponsored Instagram posts for ChatGPT from 61 in June to 141 in August, according to HypeAuditor data cited by Business Insider. The company is reportedly pitching parenting, fitness and tech creators, urging them to frame ChatGPT as useful for everyday life and business rather than address AI safety worries directly.
businessinsider.com
· 2026-09-23
A growing number of TikTok creators are being paid by brands to produce content that mimics organic user videos while hiding its promotional nature, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal. Creators like Ceci Beck and Brooks Langford say they earn between $1,000 and $6,000 a month from this work, and one campaign manager reportedly told a creator to deny that a video was sponsored when asked directly.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-21
Executives from Whalar Group's The Lighthouse, Pie, and Peach & Lily convened to discuss how influencer marketing is evolving beyond traditional sponsored posts. The panel addressed how brands should select creators, structure longer-term partnerships, and produce content that feels genuine rather than promotional.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-17
Noise, a marketing platform that lets anyone with a smartphone create sponsored content for brands and get paid per view, has raised a $5.5 million seed round led by Capital Midwest, M25, and Grishin Robotics, bringing total funding to $7.2 million. The app connects brands seeking scalable content campaigns with a pool of over 1.5 million creators across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, handling briefs, payments, and sourcing automatically. Founded in 2025 by Diego Kafie, Stu Feldt, and Nic Weber, the company says its top creators earn six figures annually.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-16
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