Cyprus is increasingly enforcing existing consumer protection laws against social media influencers who promote products or services without clear disclosure. Law 112(I)/2021 requires influencers to identify commercial content, and at EU level influencers are treated as traders under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, exposing them to sanctions for misleading or unfair commercial practices. Courts are also scrutinising whether tort claims, including negligent misstatement, can apply when influencer content causes foreseeable consumer or reputational harm.

France’s 2023 Influencer Act (Law n°2023‑451) has gone further by defining compensated influencers and imposing joint liability with advertisers, including fines and potential imprisonment for prohibited promotions, offering a regulatory model. In Cyprus, gaps remain around paid political endorsements and algorithmic amplification, prompting debate on how to balance freedom of expression with tighter accountability to prevent misinformation and commercial or reputational damage.