Affiliate marketing is legal, legitimate, and enormously valuable — but it is also regulated. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission treats an undisclosed affiliate commission as a deceptive practice. The United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, and Australia all impose comparable obligations. On top of disclosure, affiliates face data-privacy rules for tracking cookies, search-engine requirements for paid links, and legal exposure around trademarks and taxes. This resource explains all of it in plain English, organized so you can find exactly what applies to you.
Start here
FTC Endorsement Guides
16 CFR Part 255: what the Guides require and their legal force.
Core conceptClear & Conspicuous
The FTC's test for every disclosure — the single most important concept.
PracticalHow to Write One
Wording that works, wording that fails, and a formula you can reuse.
ChecklistCompliance Checklist
Run this before and after publishing: disclosure, links, consent, and more.
Foundations
The core concepts: what a material connection is, who the rules apply to, and why disclosure protects you.
What Is Disclosure
Telling your audience you may earn a commission — what it means and why it is required.
FoundationsMaterial Connection
The commission, free product, or business tie that triggers your duty to disclose.
FoundationsWhy It Matters
The legal, financial, and trust reasons compliance is a straightforward business decision.
FoundationsWho Must Disclose
Bloggers, influencers, brands, and networks — size creates no exemption.
FoundationsHow It Works
Links, cookies, and commissions — and the compliance duty each one creates.
FoundationsGlossary
Plain-English definitions of the key disclosure, privacy, and SEO terms.
US & the FTC
The FTC Endorsement Guides, the 2023 revision, the fake-reviews rule, platform-by-platform requirements, and enforcement.
FTC Endorsement Guides
16 CFR Part 255: what the Guides require and their legal force.
US & the FTCThe 2023 Revision
The June 2023 update: what changed and why it matters to affiliates.
US & the FTCClear & Conspicuous
The FTC's test for every disclosure — the single most important concept.
US & the FTCHow to Write One
Wording that works, wording that fails, and a formula you can reuse.
US & the FTCPlacement & Timing
Where and when to place a disclosure, format by format.
US & the FTCGood vs. Bad Examples
Compliant and non-compliant disclosures side by side, with the reasons.
US & the FTCFake Reviews Rule
The 2024 rule with direct civil penalties for fake and manipulated reviews.
US & the FTCEnforcement & Penalties
How the FTC enforces, the current penalty figure, and landmark cases.
US & the FTCNotice of Penalty Offenses
The mechanism behind FTC civil penalties for undisclosed connections.
US & the FTCDisclosures by Platform
How to satisfy the standard on each platform — the hub page.
US & the FTCBlogs & Websites
Above the fold, before the first link, on every page.
US & the FTCPut the disclosure before the 'more' cutoff; tagging is not disclosing.
US & the FTCTikTok & Short Video
Spoken plus superimposed — captions alone are not enough.
US & the FTCYouTube & Video
At the start, in audio and on-screen text — not just the description.
US & the FTCLive Streams & Stories
Repeat periodically on live; superimpose legibly on ephemeral content.
US & the FTCEmail & Newsletters
Disclose near the top; label sponsored sections; mind CAN-SPAM too.
US & the FTCPodcasts
Say it aloud near the recommendation; notes are a supplement.
US & the FTCAmazon Associates
Amazon's required disclosure wording and its program-specific pitfalls.
US & the FTCDisclose on the Pin itself; it keeps working as the Pin recirculates.
US & the FTCX (Twitter)
Lead with the disclosure; character limits are not an exemption.
US & the FTCProfiles, Pages, and Groups — including groups you admin — all require disclosure.
US & the FTCTwitch & Streaming
Repeat aloud, label on screen, and disclose beside panel and chat links.
US States
US State Laws Overview
The three layers of state law that reach affiliates wherever their readers live.
US StatesState UDAP / Mini-FTC Acts
State 'little FTC acts' — and the private-lawsuit risk they create.
US StatesState Privacy Laws
The ~20-state privacy patchwork and what affiliate trackers must do about it.
US StatesCalifornia
California's consumer, privacy, and subscription rules — your compliance proxy.
US StatesAutomatic-Renewal Laws
Subscription and free-trial rules after the federal click-to-cancel rule fell.
International
How the UK, EU, Canada, and Australia regulate affiliate and influencer disclosure — and where they differ.
International Overview
How the US, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia compare — and one rule for all.
InternationalUK: ASA & CAP Code
'Obviously identifiable' ads, the required 'Ad' label, and why '#aff' fails.
InternationalUK: CMA & DMCC Act
The CMA's new power to fine directly for hidden ads and fake reviews.
InternationalEU: UCPD
The EU's baseline ban on hidden advertising and undisclosed paid content.
InternationalEU: Omnibus Directive
Disclose paid rankings; the EU rule that hits comparison and 'best of' sites.
InternationalEU: Digital Services Act
Platform ad-transparency duties and the creator commercial-content declaration.
InternationalEU: Digital Fairness Act
The proposed EU influencer rules on the horizon — expected Q4 2026.
InternationalCanada
Disclose in the content's language; penalties up to C$10M or 3% of revenue.
InternationalAustralia
'Clearly distinguishable' ads — and the ACCC sweep that found 81% non-compliant.
Data Privacy
Tracking cookies are advertising cookies. What GDPR, ePrivacy, and UK PECR require before you can set them.
GDPR & Affiliate Cookies
Why affiliate cookies need opt-in consent, and what valid consent requires.
Data PrivacyePrivacy & Consent
Article 5(3), the technologies it covers, and how it pairs with GDPR.
Data PrivacyUK: PECR & DUAA
UK cookie consent under PECR, and the DUAA's jump to GDPR-scale fines.
Data PrivacyConsent Management
How to actually implement compliant cookie consent on an affiliate site.
SEO & Technical
Link attributes, thin-affiliate risk, and how to structure a site so disclosures scale across every page.
Affiliate Links & SEO
rel=sponsored vs nofollow vs ugc, and how to attribute affiliate links correctly.
SEO & TechnicalThin Affiliate Content
The line between a valuable affiliate page and thin, spammy content.
SEO & TechnicalDisclosure Architecture
Make disclosure and link attribution scale across a large static site.
Legal & Business
Trademarks, brand bidding, program terms, and the tax treatment of affiliate income in the United States.
Trademark Issues
How trademark law applies when you name, review, and link to brands.
Legal & BusinessBrand Bidding
Why brand bidding gets affiliates terminated even when it is arguably legal.
Legal & BusinessDomains & Typosquatting
Domain-name legal risks for affiliates, and protecting your own domain.
Legal & BusinessProgram Terms
The contract that can cost you your account and commissions if ignored.
Legal & BusinessTax Basics
Schedule C, self-employment tax, estimates, and the 2026 1099 threshold changes.
Legal & BusinessRecord-Keeping
The income, expense, disclosure, and consent records you should keep.
Tools & Checklists
Checklists, ready-to-use disclosure templates, a platform quick-reference, and the mistakes that get affiliates caught.
Compliance Checklist
Run this before and after publishing: disclosure, links, consent, and more.
Tools & ChecklistsDisclosure Templates
Copy-and-adapt disclosure wording for every platform and market.
Tools & ChecklistsCommon Mistakes
The dozen mistakes that catch affiliates — and how to prevent them.
Tools & ChecklistsQuick Reference
Placement by platform and labels by market, at a glance.
Tools & ChecklistsFAQ
Quick answers to the most common affiliate compliance questions.
About
Who this resource is for, how to use it, and the official sources behind every page.
About
A resource built for affiliates: who it is for and how it is organized.
AboutContact
Reach us by form or at [email protected] with questions or suggestions.
AboutTerms of Use
The terms that govern your use of this website.
AboutPrivacy Policy
How this site handles information — to the standard it teaches.
AboutSitemap
Every page on the site, organized by section.
AboutHow to Use This Site
Pick the reading path that fits your situation.
AboutOfficial Sources
Every regulator and primary source behind this resource, by jurisdiction.
AboutLegal Disclaimer
The terms on which this educational content is provided.