RUGBY legend Brian O’Driscoll has been slapped with compliance notices after a string of social media posts failed to meet guidelines.
The former Irish rugby ace, alongside fitness coach Caroline O’Mahony, has been served after breaching consumer law.
The notice came after O’Driscoll failed to disclose the commercial aspect of posts online.
He is one of 26 influencers contacted by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in April 2024, with a following of 370,000 people.
O’Mahony, who was also warned, boasts a whopping 882,000 followers.
Major supermarkets and businesses were also hit with notices, with Dunnes Stores and Aldi getting hit.
He was initially given a warning of his legal obligation to label certain content as being ads.
The 46-year-old was then served with the compliance notice as the CCPC found posts had continued to breach consumer law.
The news comes as breaches were published as part of the CCPC’s 2024 Consumer Protection List.
This published the organisations that were in breach of the law within the last year.
The 2024 list is the first time actions taken against social media influencers have been included.
The CCPC confirmed that there are ongoing investigations underway for several influencers.
INSPECTIONS ONGOING
Chairperson of the CCPC Brian McHugh said: “Influencer marketing on social media can significantly shape consumers’ opinions and purchasing behaviours so it’s important that when a consumer sees commercial content on social media, they can instantly recognise it for what it is.
“Our research shows that almost a quarter of consumers who purchased a product as a result of an influencer promoting it subsequently felt misled.
“We will continue to conduct regular unannounced inspections and would remind influencers that they need to follow the law or potentially face legal consequences.”
TRADERS HIT
As well as social media influencers being hit, the list also included 20 traders hit with notices and five prosecuted in court.
These traders appearing in court included Tesco and Homesavers.
Some 47 fines were served on other retailers such as Aldi, Brown Thomas, Currys, Dunnes Stores, Londis and Spar.
The causes of these ranged from misleading customers by posting incorrect prices to failing to post the price entirely.
McHugh added: “Currently, the level of fines that can be issued for breaches of consumer protection law is not a deterrent for large businesses and that is why we are calling on the Government to give us the power to issue meaningful fines to companies breaking consumer law.
“Allowing the CCPC to directly impose large fines would send a clear signal to businesses that they must treat consumers fairly or face serious consequences.”
