Can I criticise or review products and services in my videos?

Criticism and review of a product or service fall under the fair use exception. However, as the wise Uncle Ben advised Peter Parker in Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility” you too have certain responsibilities towards your viewers and followers.

As an influencer, you have the power to influence people’s decisions. Whatever you say could impact how your followers perceive a particular product or service. When you review or criticise a product or service, you are exercising your freedom of speech which is a fundamental right under the Indian Constitution; however, this freedom of speech is not absolute and has to be balanced against our fundamental duties. Keep these things in mind before posting content:

• Do not publish content that is harmful or offensive

• Use authentic sources, such as government websites or content posted by the product or service itself.

• Verify any statement that you are making about a product or service, I.e., do your due diligence before you review a product or service

• Include links to your sources of information