Is It Illegal To Buy Followers On Instagram May 2026

Violators can face civil penalties as high as $51,744 per violation .

The FTC now explicitly prohibits buying or selling fake social media indicators—like followers, likes, or views—when they are used to mislead the public about a brand or person’s actual influence for a commercial purpose . is it illegal to buy followers on instagram

The most significant shift in the legality of buying followers came in , when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) introduced a landmark final rule. Violators can face civil penalties as high as