Use pufferfish emoji to tag misleading influencers, says Dutch advertising commission

A new campaign to counter misleading claims published online by influencers was launched this week by Sitchting Reclame Code (SRC), the foundation in the Netherlands serving as the country's advertising standards association. The SRC wants to encourage those who spot such disinformation on social media to warn others by tagging those posts with a pufferfish emoji 🐡.

“A simple comment that sends a very direct signal,” the SRC said. Consumers are still regularly tricked by nonsensical health claims or unsound financial advice.

“These are examples that deserve our attention.” Still, most influencers and content creators are well-intentioned and handle their work according to the rules, the SRC said.

The foundation chose the pufferfish to be its symbol because of how it expands dramatically when there is a threat of danger. “The emoji can be found on every smartphone and is easy to use,” the SRC said.

The organization behind the regularly updated Dutch Advertising Code for publishers is also distributing a series of pufferfish stickers and gifs which people can use in comments. The SRC has made them available for anyone to download on their website.