Antitrust, influencers fined 65,000 euros: here's who they are

The Antitrust Authority closed the investigations against the influencers Luca Marani, Alessandro Berton, Hamza Mourai, Davide Caiazzo, Luca De Stefani and Michele Leka. With regard to the first four, the proceedings were closed with commitments, while De Stefani and Leka were fined a total of EUR 65,000, according to a note.

The Antitrust investigations had been initiated in July 2024 because the influencers systematically published, on social platforms and websites, photos and/or videos in which they offered paid advice in order to obtain "easy and safe profits", along the lines of the winning model they embodied, without, moreover, using any advertisement wording to inform consumers of the advertising nature of the content disseminated. Furthermore, elements relevant to purchasing decisions such as the cost of the goods and/or services offered were not adequately emphasised.

In the case of Luca De Stefani, better known as Big Luca, the Authority ascertained two unfair commercial practices and imposed a fine of 60 thousand euros. For Michele Leka, the Antitrust Authority ascertained an unfair commercial practice, with a fine of 5 thousand euros, consisting in publishing photos and videos on the social platform TikTok in order to offer indications and easy-to-implement advice so as to obtain significant economic results.

On the other hand, the Agcm closed the proceedings against Marani, Berton, Mourai and Caiazzo without ascertaining any infringements, but by accepting certain commitments including the removal of expressions emphasising easy or risk-free earnings from all social channels and websites used. In addition, the four influencers undertook to insert advertising disclaimers; to remove inauthentic followers from their social profiles and to monitor them with appropriate tools; and to adapt the compliance of their online activity to consumer legislation.