The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has recommended Meta-owned platforms for inclusion in the US Trade Representative's 2026 Notorious Markets Review, according to a report by WWD.

The nomination places Facebook and Instagram's parent company in the formal review process that identifies marketplaces reported to facilitate substantial counterfeiting. USTR publishes the Notorious Markets List annually, and inclusion carries no direct penalty — but it signals enforcement priority to rights holders, customs authorities and platform compliance teams.

What does the nomination mean for suppliers?

For apparel and footwear brands, the AAFA move targets a channel where counterfeit versions of softgoods reach buyers at scale. Industry groups have argued for years that social commerce platforms sit outside the enforcement attention given to standalone marketplaces.

The Notorious Markets process works through public nomination and comment. Trade associations such as the AAFA file recommendations; USTR evaluates submissions before issuing its final list. A 2026 listing would follow the review cycle now under way.

How should sourcing and compliance teams respond?

Brands supplying or advertising through Meta's platforms face a compliance decision: monitor the nomination's progress through the USTR review, and press platform partners for takedown performance data before the 2026 list lands.

The WWD report on the AAFA recommendation is a confirmed trade-association filing, not a USTR determination. No final decision on inclusion has been made.