The new influencer advertising regulation took effect on August 1, 2026, changing the rules content creators must follow in their brand collaborations. With this regulation introduced by the Ministry of Trade, using an “advertisement” label in social media posts has now become mandatory, and new rules have been brought to many areas, from AI-generated content to fake discounts. So how do these new influencer advertising rules affect you, and could you get into trouble when sharing a collaboration?
In this article, I’ll approach the topic not with a lawyer’s language, but from the perspective of someone who actually creates content in the field. I’ll explain the items that directly concern influencers in detail, paint a general picture of the entire regulation, and at the very end give you a practical checklist you can use before posting. Note: Some of the information circulating about this topic on social media is incomplete, and some is completely wrong; I’ll correct those one by one as well.
The 10 Key Changes in the Regulation
You’ll find the 10 main headings announced by the Ministry here. I’ve covered the ones that concern you most as a content creator in greater detail, and conveyed the others without skipping over why they matter.
1. Using “Advertisement” or “Promotion” Labels in Social Media Posts Is Now Mandatory
This is the most important item that directly concerns most content creators.
According to the new rule, in any post where you gain some benefit such as earnings, a free or discounted product/service, or participation in an even, you must clearly state that the content is an advertisement. To do this, you must use at least one of the terms “Advertisement” or “Promotion.”
Here’s the important detail: the visibility of the label is now also bound by rules. The advertising information must be in a place the follower can notice the moment they first encounter the post. That means it should be visible without clicking “See more,” without expanding the description, and without being hidden among dozens of hashtags. A “#ad” squeezed at the very bottom of the caption now poses a risk. In addition, if the content is spread across multiple stories, videos, or posts, the label must appear separately in each relevant post.
The core principle in a single sentence: your follower should be able to understand it’s an advertisement the moment they look at the content.
2. Even If You Don’t Get Paid, a “Benefit” Can Count as Advertising
The most common misconception among content creators: “I didn’t get paid, I just received a product, so this isn’t advertising.”
The new regulation is very clear on this. A benefit doesn’t just mean a cash payment. A product sent for free, a service received at a discount, a hotel stay covered by a brand, a meal you’re invited to, or participation in an event all count as benefits. If you make a promotion in return for these, you must clearly state the advertising relationship.
This is especially critical for content creators working with PR packages and barter collaborations. I recommend rereading my earlier article “How to Become a UGC Content Creator” about the product-in-exchange working model with this perspective in mind; because the transparency dimension of these collaborations is now much more decisive.
3. Transparency Requirement for AI-Generated Advertisements
We’re in a period where virtual influencers and AI-generated content are rapidly increasing, and the regulation addresses this directly.
If digital characters created with AI that are indistinguishable from a real human are used in advertisements, it has become mandatory to indicate this in a clear, understandable, and distinguishable way. In addition, it is now prohibited to portray a digital copy of a real person, created using AI, as if they are using or recommending a product they haven’t actually used or experienced.
In short, AI cannot be used as a cover to mislead consumers in advertising.
4. Illegal Games of Chance Added to the Advertising Ban
The ban on advertising services provided by fortune tellers, mediums, astrologers, and the like, as well as on illegal betting and gambling, has been expanded, and illegal games of chance have now been explicitly included in this scope.
The message here for content creators is this: when evaluating a collaboration offer, saying “let me just put an ad label on it and it’ll be fine” isn’t enough. The service you’re going to promote must itself comply with the regulations. Otherwise, labeling won’t free you from responsibility.
5. The Era of Fake Discounts in Sales Advertisements Is Ending
Although this item may seem to “only concern brands,” it actually closely concerns many content creators who share discounts/campaigns. Because there are a lot of accounts running fake discounts.
According to the new rule, when a discount is shown on a product, the amount that can be presented as the “old price” (with a line through it) must be the lowest price applied within the last 10 days before the discount began. In other words, artificially raising a price first and then presenting it as a “big discount” is now a clear rule violation. For perishable goods like fruits and vegetables and for services, the previous price is taken as the basis. Additionally, campaigns that make a discount or benefit conditional on a requirement are also subject to these rules.
If you’re sharing a brand’s “70% off” campaign, whether that figure is actually accurate now affects your credibility too.
6. Targeted Advertising Aimed at Children Is Prohibited
Making targeted advertising specific to children using profiling methods based on children’s personal data has been prohibited.
Although this may not seem directly related to the influencer label, it’s a regulation that must be followed carefully, especially by accounts producing children’s and family content and in brand collaborations aimed at this audience. It shows that the boundaries in marketing aimed at children are becoming clearer.
7. Transparency in Targeted Advertising
A new rule has been introduced for targeted advertisements shown by analyzing consumers’ online behavior and personal data. Now, the advertiser must explain, in a direct and easily accessible way, according to which criteria the advertisement is shown to the consumer and how these criteria can be changed.
This is more of a technical regulation concerning advertising platforms and large advertisers; but it shows that the digital advertising ecosystem is becoming more transparent overall.
8. New Criteria for Consumer Reviews
Consumer reviews obtained from channels where purchase verification cannot be made can no longer be published. In other words, building a reputation with reviews where it’s unclear “whether they actually made a purchase” is becoming harder. Additionally, if reviews are separated under different headings such as product, delivery, or seller, it has become mandatory to include all of them in the same area in a clear and easily accessible way.
As an addition, the period granted to sellers to exercise their right to respond before a complaint is published has been reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours; if no response comes within this period, the review is published directly.
9. Boundaries on Environmental Claims Have Become Clearer
Using general expressions like “eco-friendly” or “natural” without any explanation has been prohibited. If there’s an environmental claim on a product, it must be stated which stage of the product’s life cycle it relates to, and the certificates or approvals put forward must be provable with documents from authorized/independent institutions.
If you do sustainability-themed collaborations, questioning whether there’s a real document behind a brand’s claims should now be a protective reflex for you too.
10. Academic Titles and Dietary Supplement Advertisements
The last two headings generally concern health- and expertise-themed content. Using academic titles in a misleading and deceptive way in commercial advertisements has been prohibited; that is, an “expert/academic” appearance cannot be given in a way that exploits the consumer’s lack of knowledge. In addition, dietary supplements cannot be advertised in a way that creates the impression they replace foods consumed as part of a normal diet.
If you promote health, diet, or supplement products, these items are especially important for you.
Commonly Believed Myths
While the new regulation is being discussed, I noticed that some information on social media is wrong. Here are the ones I’ve come across most often:
“This regulation brought a tax on gift products” No. The advertising regulation is not a tax regulation. The tax dimension of gift and barter products is the subject of a separate tax legislation for social content creators, and it didn’t come with this regulation. Still, it’s useful to discuss the tax side of the in-kind products you receive in exchange for promotion with a certified public accountant; but you shouldn’t confuse this by saying “the new regulation brought a tax.”
“Fortune teller, medium, and astrologer advertisements were banned for the first time.” No. The advertising ban on these services already existed. The real novelty in this regulation is the explicit addition of illegal games of chance to the scope of the existing betting and gambling advertising ban.
“Now every piece of content using AI must have a label.” Not exactly. The regulation doesn’t require every AI tool used to be labeled. The requirement applies to digital characters indistinguishable from a real human and to misleading AI uses that could affect the consumer’s economic decision.
Pre-Publishing Checklist
Before sharing a collaboration content, quickly review this list. If you say “no” or “I’m not sure” to any of them, reconsider the post.
- Did I gain a benefit from this content? (Payment, free/discounted product, invitation, accommodation, event participation… All are benefits.)
- Did I use the “Advertisement” or “Promotion” label? (“Collaboration” or “collab” alone is not enough.)
- Is the label visible at first glance? (Without clicking “See more,” without being buried in a pile of hashtags.)
- Is the brand name clear in the content? (For example: Advertisement | BrandName) If the content is spread across multiple stories/videos, is there a label in each one?
- Does the service I’m promoting comply with the regulations? (Not illegal betting, games of chance, etc.)
- If I used an AI character or digital copy, did I clearly state it?
- Is the discount/campaign I’m sharing real? (Not an inflated “old price.”)
- If I received an in-kind product, did I evaluate its tax side?
This list can protect you from a major risk within seconds. But keep this in mind too: in content that violates a rule, responsibility doesn’t belong solely to the content creator; the advertiser brand and the agency can also be held responsible. The Ministry can impose high administrative fines for deceptive advertisements, depending on the nature of the case.
Conclusion
The new regulation isn’t something to fear; it actually revolves around a single word: transparency. The real goal of the regulation is for users to be able to understand at first glance whether the content they see is a sincere recommendation or a commercial collaboration.
As content creation grew, it was inevitable that its rules would become clearer. This is actually a sign that the sector is maturing. Content creators who use the correct label, promote honestly, and build a trust-based relationship with their followers will come out of this period not harmed, but stronger. Because what makes the difference now isn’t just reach; it’s trust.
