On Wednesday, the Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi issued a circular requiring adherence to controls and requirements when contracting with social media influencers and sites.
In the circular, the Department called on all economic establishments, influencers and social media sites to adhere to and commit to the necessity of these influencers obtaining a license from the Department, to practice the activity of advertising and advertising services, through electronic websites and social media sites.
It also called for the necessity of economic establishments to obtain a permit from the department when carrying out any advertisements (advertising, promotional or marketing).
In the circular, the department asked economic establishments to ensure that they have a valid license issued by the department when contracting with influencers.
The department warned that failure to comply with what was mentioned will expose violators to penalties and violations, and will also expose the economic establishment to closure.
The value of the violations was determined as follows: the first violation is 3 thousand dirhams, the second is 6 thousand dirhams, the third is 8 thousand dirhams, and the fourth is 10 thousand dirhams, in addition to the closure of the facility.