This contribution examines the civil liability of the medical influencer, an emerging figure combining digital communication with the authority conferred by professional medical qualifications. Starting from an analysis of the multi-layered regulatory framework – encompassing the general rules on influencer marketing (Consumer Code, AGCOM and AGCM regulations), the Code of Medical Ethics and the FNOMCeO Recommendations on social media, as well as the special legislation on healthcare advertising – the study addresses the question of the dogmatic foundation of liability arising from a physician's communicative activity on digital platforms. Having established that the liability paradigm under Law No. 24/2017 (the Gelli-Bianco Act) is inapplicable to this context, the contribution proposes grounding the medical influencer's liability in the concept of "communicative social contact", distinguished from the therapeutic social contact characterising the traditional care relationship, and specifying its content through the good faith and fairness clause of Article 1175 of the Italian Civil Code as elaborated by Mengoni. This framework generates qualified obligations of transparency, scientific accuracy, prudence in recommendations, and respect for the limits of professional competence, the breach of which constitutes non-performance subject to the contractual liability regime. A comparative analysis of the German model of *Vertrauenshaftung* and the French Influencer Act No. 2023-451, as well as the European framework (Directive 2005/29/EC, the Omnibus Directive, and the Digital Services Act), confirms the systematic relevance of qualified reliance as a factor modulating informational liability and provides criteria for identifying those cases in which the breach of transparency standards acquires legal significance under civil liability rules.
Il contributo esamina la responsabilità civile dell'influencer medico, figura emergente che coniuga la comunicazione digitale con l'autorevolezza della qualifica professionale sanitaria. Muovendo dall'analisi del quadro regolatorio multilivello applicabile – che comprende la disciplina generale dell'influencer marketing (Codice del consumo, delibere AGCOM e AGCM), il Codice di deontologia medica e le Raccomandazioni FNOMCeO sui social media, nonché la normativa speciale sulla pubblicità sanitaria – lo studio affronta il problema del fondamento dogmatico della responsabilità derivante dall'attività comunicativa del medico su piattaforme digitali. Dopo aver dimostrato l'inapplicabilità del paradigma della responsabilità sanitaria ex lege n. 24/2017 (legge Gelli-Bianco) a tale contesto, il lavoro propone di fondare la responsabilità dell'influencer medico sulla figura del «contatto sociale comunicativo», distinta dal contatto sociale terapeutico proprio del rapporto di cura, e di specificarne il contenuto attraverso la clausola di correttezza di cui all'art. 1175 c.c. nell'elaborazione di Mengoni. Da tale impostazione discendono obblighi qualificati di trasparenza, accuratezza scientifica, prudenza nelle raccomandazioni e rispetto dei limiti di competenza, la cui violazione integra inadempimento con applicazione del regime contrattuale. L'analisi comparatistica del modello tedesco della *Vertrauenshaftung* e della legge francese n. 2023-451 sugli influencer, nonché del quadro europeo (Direttiva 2005/29/CE, Direttiva Omnibus, Digital Services Act), conferma la rilevanza sistematica dell'affidamento qualificato come fattore di graduazione della responsabilità informativa e consente di selezionare le ipotesi in cui la violazione degli standard di trasparenza acquista rilievo sul piano della responsabilità civile.
La responsabilità dell'influencer medico
Varanese giovanni
2026-01-01
Abstract
This contribution examines the civil liability of the medical influencer, an emerging figure combining digital communication with the authority conferred by professional medical qualifications. Starting from an analysis of the multi-layered regulatory framework – encompassing the general rules on influencer marketing (Consumer Code, AGCOM and AGCM regulations), the Code of Medical Ethics and the FNOMCeO Recommendations on social media, as well as the special legislation on healthcare advertising – the study addresses the question of the dogmatic foundation of liability arising from a physician's communicative activity on digital platforms. Having established that the liability paradigm under Law No. 24/2017 (the Gelli-Bianco Act) is inapplicable to this context, the contribution proposes grounding the medical influencer's liability in the concept of "communicative social contact", distinguished from the therapeutic social contact characterising the traditional care relationship, and specifying its content through the good faith and fairness clause of Article 1175 of the Italian Civil Code as elaborated by Mengoni. This framework generates qualified obligations of transparency, scientific accuracy, prudence in recommendations, and respect for the limits of professional competence, the breach of which constitutes non-performance subject to the contractual liability regime. A comparative analysis of the German model of *Vertrauenshaftung* and the French Influencer Act No. 2023-451, as well as the European framework (Directive 2005/29/EC, the Omnibus Directive, and the Digital Services Act), confirms the systematic relevance of qualified reliance as a factor modulating informational liability and provides criteria for identifying those cases in which the breach of transparency standards acquires legal significance under civil liability rules.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
