Federal Trade Commission

The FTC enforces consumer protection law in the United States, and the part creators meet is its Endorsement Guides. Those say that where a connection between an endorser and a brand would affect how the audience weighs a recommendation, the connection has to be disclosed clearly. Payment counts, and so do free product, affiliate commission, discount codes and family ties.

Clearly is doing the work in that sentence. A disclosure buried in a description, hidden behind more, dropped into hashtag soup or spoken once at the end of a twenty minute video falls short. Enforcement can reach the brand and the creator, and other countries run their own equivalents.