You’ll Now Need a Licence to be a Social Media Influencer in the UAE
In order to professionalize and regulate the industry, social media influencers who make money from promoting brands and businesses will need to secure a media license under new regulations issued by the Emirati government. The announcement was made by the Emirati National Media Center on Tuesday. The license would be similar to those that magazines and newspapers acquire from the authorities.
The council confirmed that there is no intention to constrain creativity but to ensure earnings are above board and standards are high. The social media influencing business is booming, and those influencers are commanding fees of tens or hundreds of thousands of dirhams for promotional posts.
The National Media Center launched a new electronic media regulation system; anyone involved in electronic media commercial activities will need to register and have a license before the end of June. The penalties may include verbal or official warnings, closure of websites or accounts, or fines up to 5,000 dirhams!
“The new regulations are part of the Council’s plan to promote and develop an advanced legislative and regulatory environment for the UAE media sector, keeping it up-to-speed with regards to all technological developments that have transformed media in recent times.” Said Mansour Ibrahim Al Mansouri, NMC’s Director General.
Ahmad Bashour, General Manager of ITP Live, one of the region’s largest social influencer agencies, was also excited about the move. He stated “Brands, agencies, platforms and professional influencers will only benefit from this positive step. ITP Live has been calling for increased regulation and more transparency, which this market was in need of and the NMC has taken this bold move to keep the standards high.”
