Cameo App Violated NJ Law With Personalized Celebrity Videos: AG

NEW JERSEY — Cameo, a popular social app where fans can purchase personalized video messages from their favorite celebrities, must clearly label videos endorsing products and businesses under a settlement agreement with officials in New Jersey and 29 other states.

The settlement resolves potential consumer protection and Federal Trade Commission violations by Baron App, which does business as Cameo, Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced this week.

Launched in 2017, the app allows users to pay for personalized video messages from celebrities and media personalities. New Jersey celebrities who used the app included Danielle Staub from “Real Housewives of New Jersey” and former Gov. Chris Christie, according to a NJ Advance Media report.

Cameo also launched Business Cameo aimed at allowing companies to pay celebrities to endorse their products; however, an investigation by several states found that Cameo failed to provide disclosures to users purchasing videos for business or product endorsements. The app also failed to provide refunds to users who mistakenly paid for the Cameo for Business feature but were not permitted to use it.

The failures resulted in users seeing videos from celebrities who appeared to be posting positive reviews of products and services without disclosing that they had been paid to make the video, officials said.

“There should be clear lines to distinguish between congratulatory videos to your friends and relatives, and videos that advertise your store or business,” Platkin said in a statement. “Moreover, pricing for anything you purchase should be clear and transparent.”

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

Cameo agreed to include a watermark on all Cameo videos indicating when they are paid content. The company also agreed to monitor paid advertisements for compliance and establish reporting mechanisms for non-compliant Cameo videos.

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