Cameo app violates PA law with personalized celebrity videos: AG

The app, which launched in 2017, violated state laws by not publishing paid videos promoting products and companies, officials said.

Jul 30, 2024 12:06pm EDT

PENNSYLVANIA — Cameo, a popular social app that lets fans purchase personalized video messages from their favorite celebrities, must clearly label videos endorsing products and companies, according to a settlement agreement with officials in Pennsylvania and 29 other states.

The settlement resolves potential consumer protection and Federal Trade Commission violations by Baron Inc., which does business as Cameo, Attorney General Michelle Henry announced this week. The app, which launched in 2017, lets users pay for personalized video messages from celebrities and media personalities.

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Cameo also launched Business Cameo, which allowed companies to pay celebrities to promote their products. However, an investigation in several states, including Pennsylvania, found that Cameo did not provide information to users who purchased videos to promote their businesses or products.

According to officials, the app also did not offer refunds to users who accidentally paid for the Cameo for Business feature but were not allowed to use it.

Officials said the flaws led to users being shown videos of celebrities appearing to post positive reviews of products and services without disclosing that they had been paid to make the video.

“Cameo is a way for Pennsylvanians and businesses to get personalized access to prominent figures, but consumers deserve to know when a video they watch has been paid for,” Henry said in a statement.

As part of the settlement, Cameo agreed to develop and maintain a clear and comprehensive system to ensure compliance with all state consumer protection laws and federal disclosure requirements for approvals.

Cameo agreed to place a watermark on all Cameo videos to indicate when the content is paid. The company also agreed to monitor paid ads for compliance and establish reporting mechanisms for non-compliant Cameo videos.

Other states covered by the complaint were Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, New Jersey, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.