Consumer protection watchdog group Public Citizen has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Dr. Mehmet Oz’s alleged violations of the FTC’s influencer marketing standards.
President-elect Oz said in a number of videos posted on various social media channels. Donald Trump chose He has promoted herbal supplements to direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The day before Thanksgiving, Oz posted a video on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X about the stress-reducing properties of ashwagandha, a shrub native to Asia and Africa. Oz introduced his 11 million followers to a “trusted source” for purchasing herbal supplements, an online marketplace called iHerb. Oz has stated on social media that he is a global advisor and stakeholder in the company.
“All nominees and appointees will comply with the ethical obligations of their respective agencies,” said Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump transition team.
Robert Wiseman, co-president of Public Citizen, said: Tuesday’s letter to the FTC Some of Oz’s videos promoting herbal supplements may violate influencer marketing guidelines because they do not disclose that Oz has any financial ties to the brand. The FTC declined to comment to NBC News and said it does not comment on communications or complaints from outside parties.
“Dr. Oz regularly makes posts urging consumers to consider purchasing products from iHerb. The video posts do not disclose his financial connections, nor does the accompanying text. The post also does not include any other disclosures, such as #ad,” Wiseman wrote in a review of Oz posts across the platform.
Oz, known as “America’s Doctor” through his successful career on television, known for being controversial and unsubstantiated health claims, including promotions of ingredients or foods that purportedly help weight loss or avoid cancer.
meanwhile Some of President Trump’s choices Ministers, agency heads and administrative staff own social media platforms, and Oz has one of the largest followings and the most transparent influencer marketing. While deceptive campaign ads and influencer endorsements have been hot topics in past election cycles, the potential involvement of politicians in undisclosed influencer marketing is a more recent issue. are.
“With that knowledge, consumers will be able to apply the appropriate emotional and intellectual filters to advertisements and ignore exaggerations and genuine claims. In contrast, consumers will be able to apply appropriate screens to “False advertising is inherently deceptive because consumers do not know if they are seeing an ad,” Wiseman wrote about the right of consumers to know whether they are seeing an ad or not. “The problem is exacerbated by deceptive advertising featuring paid endorsements, where deceived consumers believe that their favorite celebrity is genuinely, voluntarily and enthusiastically endorsing a brand, and that the celebrity is replacing them in their place. They don’t realize that they are being paid and may not even use the brand being promoted.”
NBC News Reported On TikTok, where he has 1.1 million followers, Oz most recently promoted iHerb products through the TikTok Shop marketplace in September. In-app features This will allow TikTok users to purchase items shown in their videos with just three clicks. The most recent iHerb videos posted by Oz on TikTok do not use the shop feature and are labeled “Creators earn commissions,” which does not indicate any relationship between Oz and the brand.
Wiseman writes: TikTok commission label It may not fully meet the FTC influencer marketing standards for revealing Oz’s interest in the brand and is “most likely automated” by TikTok. He also wrote that Oz’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram did not include such labels.
Oz has disclosed his position at iHerb on his Instagram, X and TikTok profiles, but not on Facebook, where he has the largest following of 5.4 million people. The FTC states: the guidelines Individual posts must include a disclosure in text and in audio If the post is a video, the disclosure in the bio is not enough.
NBC News saw multiple accounts posted on Instagram and Facebook thanking people for their advice and celebrating their pending appointments in comments on Oz’s latest iHerb post. Most of the comments were positive, with some urging Oz to either keep Medicare and Medicaid programs as they are or expand coverage. Regarding X, NBC News featured mostly negative comments, some of which called him a “con artist.” On TikTok, NBC News saw dozens of comments expressing concern for America’s future and mocking Oz’s use of the TikTok shop.
The top TikTok comment was “OMG WE ARE COOKED.” slang I’m referring to the immediate consequences. “Wow, he’s doing shop ads on TikTok,” was the top comment, followed by “The universe must be playing with us,” and “We’re doomed.”
This article was first published NBCNews.com
