Regional rules at a glance: US, UK, Pakistan, UAE and KSA

0:00 Regional rules at a glance

Your audience rarely lives in one country. A creator in Karachi may have a third of her followers in the Gulf. A software seller in London may run a webinar for finance leaders in Riyadh. So which rules apply? Often, more than one set. In this lecture you'll take a principle-level tour of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Pakistan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with the changes from twenty twenty-four to twenty twenty-six that matter most, and you'll learn a simple habit that keeps you safe across all of them: follow the strictest standard that applies.

0:43 Two caveats

Before we start, two important caveats. First, this isn't legal advice. It's a map of principles as of twenty twenty-six, and rules change. Second, campaign briefs may impose stricter requirements than the law, and platforms have their own policies too. So treat this as a way to know what questions to ask, and always check official guidance for the markets you reach. Here's an analogy. This lecture is a road atlas. It shows you which countries have speed cameras. It doesn't tell you today's limit on every road. For that, you read the signs.

1:24 United States

The United States. The Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides require disclosure of material connections, and disclosures must be clear and conspicuous. Creators can be held responsible, not just brands. Endorsements must reflect honest opinions and actual use. Since October twenty twenty-four, the FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials prohibits fake reviews, buying or selling them, and certain undisclosed insider reviews, with civil penalties available. And a note on subscriptions: the FTC's click-to-cancel rule was struck down by a federal appeals court in July twenty twenty-five on procedural grounds, but the FTC can still pursue deceptive subscription practices, and many states have their own automatic-renewal laws.

2:10 United Kingdom

The United Kingdom. The Advertising Standards Authority enforces the CAP Code, which requires marketing to be obviously identifiable, and it publicly names non-compliant influencers. Guidance recommends labels like ad, advert or hashtag ad, placed upfront, and treats affiliate links and gifted products as needing disclosure in many situations. The big change: since the sixth of April twenty twenty-five, the Competition and Markets Authority can decide for itself that consumer law has been broken and fine businesses up to ten per cent of global turnover. Fake reviews and hidden drip fees are explicitly banned, and the regulator's first investigations focused on online pricing and pressure selling.

2:56 European Union

The European Union. The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive prohibits hidden advertising. The Digital Services Act requires platforms to give users tools to label commercial content, and bans dark patterns on online platforms. Several countries, France for example, have specific influencer laws. Two things to watch. The Commission has planned a Digital Fairness Act covering dark patterns, influencer marketing, addictive design and unfair personalisation, expected to be proposed in twenty twenty-six, so check its status. And the AI Act's transparency rules have applied since August twenty twenty-six: tell people when they're talking to an AI system, and label deepfakes.

3:39 Pakistan

Pakistan. There's no single influencer code like the UK's. But the Competition Act twenty ten prohibits deceptive marketing, enforced by the Competition Commission of Pakistan, which has acted against misleading advertising. Provincial consumer-protection laws also prohibit false claims, and cyber laws, including the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, amended in twenty twenty-five, may apply to some content. A comprehensive data-protection law had been drafted but not enacted as of mid twenty twenty-six. Best practice is simple: disclose clearly in English, Urdu or the language of your post, avoid claims you can't back up, and follow the brief.

4:21 UAE

The United Arab Emirates. The UAE Media Council regulates media and advertising content, and adverts must respect national media standards, including respect for religion, national identity and public morals. The big change: in twenty twenty-five, the Council made an advertiser permit mandatory for individuals who promote products or services on social media, whether they're paid or not. The deadline to obtain it was extended to the end of January twenty twenty-six. For citizens and residents it's free for the first three years, and the permit number should be displayed on your accounts. Promoting your own business from your own account is exempt. And if you follow up leads by phone, the twenty twenty-four telemarketing rules limit marketing calls to nine till six, with consent.

5:15 Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia. The General Authority for Media Regulation, formerly known as GCAM, runs the Mawthooq licence for individuals who advertise on social media. Advertising without the required licence can lead to penalties, and brands are advised to work only with licensed advertisers. Rules for non-Saudi influencers were tightened in twenty twenty-five, and the regulator has issued content guidance, including on misleading claims. Consumer-protection and e-commerce rules prohibit misleading advertising, and the Personal Data Protection Law applies to customer data. Check current requirements before accepting any work aimed at Saudi audiences.

5:54 Two examples

Let's put it together with two examples. First, simple. A Dubai-based creator has followers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UK, and accepts a skincare campaign. She confirms her UAE advertiser permit is current. She checks whether Saudi-targeted work needs a Mawthooq licence. She rewrites cures eczema to helped my dry patches feel calmer. She labels every post ad in English and Arabic, and uses the platform label. Second, a business example. A London software firm promotes a finance webinar in the Gulf. Employee posts say I work at. Ads are labelled. Nobody promises guaranteed savings. Sign-up data follows the firm's privacy notice, with Gulf data duties reviewed by counsel. And follow-up calls to UAE numbers respect the nine-to-six window.

6:47 Watch me do it: compliance sheet

Watch me do it. I'll fill in the multi-market compliance sheet from the lesson for a campaign. Top audience countries from analytics: UAE forty per cent, Saudi twenty-five, Pakistan twenty, UK ten, illustratively. Licences: UAE advertiser permit, yes, current. Saudi: the campaign targets Saudi buyers, so I check Mawthooq requirements before signing. Disclosure: ad, plus the Arabic word for advertisement, in the first line, platform label on. Claims: the brief says reduces wrinkles in seven days. I ask for evidence. None arrives, so the claim goes. Restricted category? No. Urgency: the brief says ends Sunday, confirmed in writing. Data: none collected. Records: brief, contract and screenshots in one folder. Five minutes, and the campaign is defensible in every market.

7:39 Common mistakes

Common mistakes. Assuming your home country's rules are the only ones that apply. Accepting Gulf-targeted paid work without checking permits and licences. Treating a translated hashtag as enough. Repeating a brand's claim you can't substantiate. And relying on summaries, including this one, instead of official guidance. Rules here changed repeatedly between twenty twenty-four and twenty twenty-six, so put a quarterly reminder in your calendar to check the official pages of each regulator you're exposed to.

8:12 Recap + try this now

Recap. Know where your audience actually is. Check permits and licences for paid work aimed at the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Disclose upfront in plain words and the language of the post. Substantiate every claim, respect restricted categories, keep records, and follow the strictest standard that applies. Your try-this-now action: fill in the compliance sheet for your current or next campaign, and set that quarterly reminder. Next module: measuring what's working.