Entity Map

Affiliate marketing Concept

A performance-based marketing model in which an affiliate earns a commission for promoting another company's products or services through tracked links.

Same as: Wikipedia

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based model in which an affiliate promotes a merchant's product using a unique tracking link and earns a commission when a visitor clicks it and completes a qualifying action such as a purchase.

How Affiliate Marketing Works (and Where Compliance Attaches) — published by Affiliate News Review

Affiliate disclosure (Material connection disclosure)Concept

A clear statement telling an audience that a publisher may earn a commission or received compensation, revealing a material connection the audience would not otherwise expect.

Affiliate disclosure means telling your audience, clearly and before they act, that you may earn a commission when they buy through your links. It reveals a material connection the audience would not reasonably expect.

What Is a Material Connection? — published by Affiliate News Review

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)Organization

The United States federal agency that enforces consumer-protection law, including the Endorsement Guides and the rule on consumer reviews and testimonials.

Same as: Wikipedia

The Federal Trade Commission enforces Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices, and treats an undisclosed affiliate commission as a deceptive practice.

The FTC Endorsement Guides Explained — published by Affiliate News Review

FTC Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255)Regulation

The FTC's guidance interpreting how endorsement and testimonial advertising must disclose material connections, substantially revised in 2023.

The FTC Endorsement Guides, at 16 CFR Part 255, require that a material connection between an endorser and a seller be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. They were substantially revised in 2023.

The FTC Endorsement Guides Explained — published by Affiliate News Review

Clear and conspicuous disclosure standard Methodology

The FTC test for an adequate disclosure: prominent, near the claim, in plain language, unavoidable, and delivered in the same manner as the recommendation.

A disclosure is clear and conspicuous when it is hard to miss and easy to understand: placed near the claim, prominent, unavoidable, and made in the same manner (visual or audible) as the endorsement.

The 'Clear and Conspicuous' Standard — published by Affiliate News Review

FTC Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (Fake Reviews Rule; 16 CFR Part 465)Regulation

A binding FTC trade rule, effective October 2024, that prohibits fake, incentivized, and manipulated reviews and carries civil penalties.

The FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465), effective October 2024, bans fake, incentivized, and manipulated reviews and carries civil penalties for knowing violations.

The FTC Fake Reviews Rule (16 CFR Part 465) — published by Affiliate News Review

Amazon Associates Platform

Amazon's affiliate program, which requires participants to disclose that they earn from qualifying purchases.

Same as: Wikipedia

Amazon Associates requires participants to display a clear disclosure such as 'As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases,' in addition to the FTC's legal disclosure requirement.

Affiliate Disclosures for Amazon Associates — published by Affiliate News Review

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)Regulation

The EU regulation governing personal-data processing, which sets the consent standard for affiliate tracking cookies.

Same as: Wikipedia

Under the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, affiliate tracking cookies are non-essential advertising cookies that require prior, informed, opt-in consent before they may be set for EU visitors.

GDPR and Affiliate Tracking Cookies — published by Affiliate News Review

ePrivacy Directive Regulation

The EU directive requiring consent before storing or accessing information on a user's device, including tracking cookies.

Same as: Wikipedia

The ePrivacy Directive, Article 5(3), requires prior informed consent before storing or accessing information on a user's device, which captures affiliate tracking cookies and pixels.

The ePrivacy Directive and Cookie Consent — published by Affiliate News Review

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)Organization

The UK advertising self-regulator whose CAP Code requires marketing communications, including affiliate content, to be obviously identifiable.

Same as: Wikipedia

The UK Advertising Standards Authority enforces the CAP Code, which requires that affiliate content be obviously identifiable as advertising, typically with the label 'Ad'.

UK Disclosure Rules: The ASA and CAP Code — published by Affiliate News Review

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)Organization

The UK competition and consumer-protection regulator, which since 2025 can directly enforce consumer law under the DMCC Act.

Same as: Wikipedia

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, the UK Competition and Markets Authority can directly fine businesses for hidden advertising and fake reviews.

UK Consumer Law: The CMA and the DMCC Act 2024 — published by Affiliate News Review

Unfair Commercial Practices Directive Regulation

The EU directive that prohibits hidden advertising and undisclosed commercial intent across member states.

Same as: Wikipedia

The EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (2005/29/EC) bans hidden advertising: undisclosed paid editorial content is blacklisted and prohibited in all circumstances.

EU Law: The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive — published by Affiliate News Review

Omnibus Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/2161)Regulation

The EU directive, applicable from May 2022, that requires disclosure of paid rankings and addresses fake reviews.

The EU Omnibus Directive, applicable from May 2022, requires traders to disclose paid placement and paid rankings in search results and prohibits fake or unverified reviews.

EU Law: The Omnibus Directive and Paid Rankings — published by Affiliate News Review

Digital Services Act Regulation

The EU regulation imposing advertising-transparency duties on online platforms and a mechanism for creators to declare commercial content.

Same as: Wikipedia

The EU Digital Services Act requires platforms to make advertising clearly identifiable in real time and gives creators a mechanism to declare that their content is a commercial communication.

EU Law: The Digital Services Act (DSA) — published by Affiliate News Review

rel="sponsored" link attribution (nofollow)Concept

The HTML link attribute Google asks publishers to apply to paid and affiliate links so they do not pass ranking signals.

Same as: Wikipedia

Google asks publishers to mark affiliate and paid links with rel="sponsored" (or nofollow) so those links do not pass ranking signals, a duty separate from disclosing to readers.

Affiliate Links and SEO: rel="sponsored" and nofollow — published by Affiliate News Review

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA)Regulation

The US law governing dietary supplement labeling, under which structure/function claims require a specific FDA disclaimer.

Same as: Wikipedia

Under DSHEA, dietary supplements may make structure/function claims but must carry the disclaimer that the statement has not been evaluated by the FDA and the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

DSHEA Compliance for Supplement Affiliates: An Overview — published by Affiliate News Review

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Organization

The US agency regulating foods, drugs, supplements, and medical products, including disease-claim restrictions relevant to affiliates.

Same as: Wikipedia

The Food and Drug Administration regulates supplement and health product labeling, prohibiting disease claims for products that are not approved drugs, which constrains what affiliates may claim.

Health & Medical Affiliate Disclosures — published by Affiliate News Review

Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)Regulation

The US real-estate law requiring an Affiliated Business Arrangement disclosure, which is distinct from affiliate-marketing disclosure.

Same as: Wikipedia

RESPA requires an Affiliated Business Arrangement disclosure when a settlement-service provider refers a consumer to an affiliated provider. This is a real-estate rule, not affiliate-marketing disclosure.

Affiliated Business Arrangement Disclosure (RESPA) vs. Affiliate Disclosure — published by Affiliate News Review

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)Organization

Australia's competition and consumer regulator, which enforces the Australian Consumer Law against undisclosed influencer content.

Same as: Wikipedia

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission enforces the Australian Consumer Law, under which undisclosed paid influencer or affiliate content can be misleading or deceptive conduct.

Australia: The ACCC, the ACL, and the AANA Code — published by Affiliate News Review

Competition Bureau (Canada) Organization

Canada's competition regulator, which requires influencers and affiliates to disclose material connections under the Competition Act.

Same as: Wikipedia

Canada's Competition Bureau requires influencers and affiliates to clearly disclose material connections, in the language of the content, under the Competition Act.

Canada: The Competition Bureau and Competition Act — published by Affiliate News Review

Cryptocurrency Concept

A digital asset class whose affiliate promotion is heavily scrutinized for undisclosed paid endorsements and requires risk disclosures.

Same as: Wikipedia

Cryptocurrency affiliate marketing is heavily scrutinized after enforcement over undisclosed paid promotion; compliant content pairs the affiliate disclosure with risk and 'not financial advice' warnings.

Cryptocurrency Affiliate Disclosures — published by Affiliate News Review

Affiliate News Review Organization

An educational resource, published by Hartzer.com, explaining affiliate marketing disclosure and compliance across jurisdictions.

Affiliate News Review is a free educational resource for affiliate marketers, covering disclosure, data privacy, SEO, and legal compliance across the US, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia.

Affiliate News Review — published by Affiliate News Review