WHY DISCLOSURE COMPLIANCE IS ACTUALLY THIS BAD.

We built Originaid's detection logic with this paper as a reference point, and it's worth reading because the scale of the problem is bigger than most brands assume. The researchers analyzed a 10-year dataset of 2 million YouTube videos from nearly 540,000 creators to measure how often affiliate marketing disclosures actually meet the FTC's standard.

THE HEADLINE NUMBERS

That last number is the one that matters most. The researchers didn't just check whether a video mentioned a disclosure. They scored each one against two separate standards drawn directly from the FTC's own endorsement guidelines: whether the disclosure clearly stated a compensated relationship, and whether it clearly identified which links or products the disclosure applied to. Only about 1 in 8 affiliate videos cleared both bars. More than half disclosed nothing at all.

SIZE DOESN'T HELP. IT HURTS.

One finding worth sitting with: compliance gets worse, not better, as channels get bigger. The paper found a statistically significant negative correlation between subscriber count and disclosure compliance. Large channels, the ones with the most reach and the most to lose from an FTC action, were the least likely to disclose clearly. The researchers point to prior work suggesting that popular creators may avoid disclosure out of concern for how it affects perceived authenticity with their audience.

THE ONE THING THAT ACTUALLY MOVED THE NEEDLE

The paper looked at three groups who could influence compliance: regulators, affiliate networks, and the platform itself. Regulatory guidance alone showed limited effect. Affiliate partners publishing their own disclosure guidelines helped modestly. But platform-native disclosure tools, specifically YouTube's built-in Shopping tag that auto-generates a disclosure, were associated with a massive jump in compliance: from roughly 20% clear compliance without the tool to nearly 62% with it.

In the researchers' words, this points to "the potential for platforms to serve a central role in providing standardized disclosure solutions" rather than leaving the burden entirely on individual creators.

That finding is a big part of why Originaid checks platform-level signals (Instagram's Paid Partnership tag, TikTok's branded-content toggle, and, on YouTube, the actual transcript) rather than relying on caption text alone. The platform is the strongest predictor of real compliance, so that's where we look first.