GENERAL REGULATION OF THE REGISTER OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATORS

Associative system for access, qualification, recognition and enhancement of digital communication professionalism

Version 2.3

Approved the: 01/08/2026

In force since: 01/08/2026

TITLE I - GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Article 1 - Subject

1. This Regulation governs the organization and operation of Registro Comunicatori Digitali, a private and voluntary association system aimed at qualifying, recognizing and valuing professionals operating in the field of digital communication.

2. The Registry is organized and managed byProfessional Association Esse Social Academy, hereinafter the “Association”, which takes care of its administration, updating, publication and related services.

3. The system includes access procedures, tests, verification of professional skills and experience, recognition of professional profiles, catalog of skills, sectors of application, annuities, renewals, economic conditions, checks, complaints and any additional activity necessary for the proper functioning of the Registry.

4. These Regulations constitute an integral part of the relationship established between the candidate or member and the Association.

Article 2 — Nature of the Register

1. The Register of Digital Communicators is a private and voluntary tool for self-regulation, qualification and professional enhancement.

2. The Register does not constitute a professional order or college, a public register, a reserve of activities, an academic degree, a State certification or a form of public authorization to practice the profession.

3. The exercise of the professional activities considered remains free in compliance with current legislation and any activities that the law reserves for specific professions.

4. The registration documents the successful completion of the procedure provided for by the Registry and the permanence of the required conditions, but it does not guarantee positions, employment relationships, economic results or professional results.

Article 3 — Regulatory Framework

1. The Register operates within the framework of the principles of Law 14 January 2013, n. 4, relating to professions not organized into orders or colleges, as well as the applicable provisions on consumer protection, personal data protection and digital services.

2. The simple registration in the Register is distinct from the possible issuance of the certificate of quality and professional qualification of the services provided for in articles 4, 7 and 8 of Law no. 4/2013.

3. Any certificate can be issued only when the conditions established by law are met and is not a necessary requirement for the exercise of the profession.

Article 4 — Purpose

1. The Register is aimed at making the professionals who operate in the digital communication ecosystem more recognizable, encouraging a clear representation of the roles, skills and experiences gained.

2. The system promotes professional updating, accountability, transparency, accessibility and the conscious use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

3. The Register also intends to offer citizens, businesses, bodies and organizations a tool through which to identify and verify professionals and skills consistent with their needs.

TITLE II — PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF THE REGISTRY

Article 5 — Digital Communicator

1. The Digital Communicator constitutes the general and system professional profile of the Registry.

2. It does not represent an additional profile that can be purchased or requested separately, but it constitutes the basic professional qualification acquired following the successful completion of the access procedure and the completion of the registration in the Register.

3. The Digital Communicator works through content, languages, platforms, tools and digital technologies and has a cross-cutting background related to online communication, content, social media, the principles of digital marketing, reputation, accessibility, privacy, copyright, data and the responsible use of technologies.

4. Recognition as a Digital Communicator does not automatically entail the recognition of additional professional profiles.

Article 6 — Additional professional profiles

1. Starting from registration as a Digital Communicator, the interested party may request the recognition of additional professional profiles, intended to describe more precisely the role, responsibilities and skills developed.

2. Among the currently planned profiles are Digital Content Creator, Social Media Manager, Digital Marketing Manager and Communications Manager.

3. The list may be modified or expanded by the Association, also on the proposal of the Technical Scientific Committee, to keep the system consistent with the evolution of the professions, technologies and nomenclatures used in the national and international labor market.

4. The profiles are cumulative. However, the possession of one of them does not automatically determine the recognition of the others, since each profile is subject to the requirements set out in the relevant professional card.

Article 7 — Professional files

1. Each professional profile is described through a specific form that defines its name, purpose, characterizing skills, typical activities, requirements, methods of recognition and any economic conditions.

2. The form in force at the time of the request forms an integral part of the relevant procedure.

3. The Association may update or version professional cards. Substantial changes do not have retroactive effects on awards already finalized, except for the loss of requirements, legal obligations or user protection requirements.

Article 8 — Professional Competencies

1. The Registry maintains an autonomous Catalogue of Professional Competencies. Competencies represent specific skills, applied knowledge or areas of professional activity and are distinct from professional profiles.

2. The same competence can be consistent with multiple profiles. The link in the catalog describes this professional relationship, but does not automatically attribute that competence to all the members who hold the profile.

3. The skills of the individual professional can be declared, documented or verified according to the procedures adopted by the Registry and can also be used as a search criterion in the Public Registry.

Article 9 — Sectors of application

1. I Sectors of application constitute an autonomous classification with respect to professional profiles and competencies.

2. They describe the context in which the professional carries out or has matured their activity, for example health, public administration, tourism, culture, industry, services, training, third sector, publishing, retail or sport.

3. The sector is not a profile or a competence. The same professional can work in multiple sectors and professionals with different profiles can work in the same sector.

Article 10 — Technical Scientific Committee

1. The Technical Scientific Committee constitutes the technical reference body of the Registry.

2. The Committee contributes to the definition and updating of professional standards, profiles, skills, requirements and methods of verification. It can also supervise the Tests, evaluate professional experiences and evidence, request integrations and formulate technical opinions.

3. Evaluations can be carried out collegially or through components, working groups or appointed experts. Those involved must have adequate skills and abstain in the presence of conflicts of interest.

TITLE III — ACCESS TO THE REGISTER

Article 11 — General Requirements

1. Adults who operate or intend to work professionally in the field of digital communication can apply.

2. The candidate must use authentic data, provide truthful information, have only one personal position and accept these Regulations and the Code of Ethics and Deontology.

3. Except as expressly provided for specific courses or profiles, general access is not subject to the possession of a specific qualification.

Article 12 — Account and identification

1. The digital services of the Registry are accessible through a personal account. The system may use single-use login links, OTP codes, or other forms of authentication and security.

2. The user is responsible for the security of their e-mail box and the tools through which they access the platform.

3. It is not allowed to create multiple accounts to evade controls, limits, attempts or other conditions established by the procedures.

Article 13 — Documents and Acceptances

1. Before completing the registration, the candidate must read the Regulations, the Code of Ethics and Deontological Code and the privacy policy, expressing separately any required acceptances or consents.

2. The system can record the user's identity, the version of the document, the date and time of the operation and the additional technical elements necessary to document the acceptance.

3. Any optional consents, including those for promotional purposes, remain separate from the requirements necessary for registration.

Article 14 — Access methods

1. The Digital Communicator system profile can be obtained through the General Access Test or through a documented verification of professional skills and experience.

2. The Association can activate additional access paths, even in collaboration with universities, training institutions or other organizations, provided that requirements and modalities are defined and published in advance.

3. Manual admission by operators is reserved for authorized administrative cases and does not constitute an ordinary mode of access that can be freely requested.

Article 15 — Academic and educational qualifications

1. Degrees, masters, certifications, courses and other training courses may contribute to the evaluation of competencies when they are relevant.

2. The possession of a title does not automatically determine enrollment, unless the Association has formally approved a specific recognition process or an agreement that governs its effects.

TITLE IV - TEST AND VERIFICATION OF SKILLS

Article 16 - Types of Tests

1. The system distinguishes the General Test for access to Register, referring to the Digital Communicator, from the professional tests that may be provided for specific additional profiles.

2. Passing the General Test does not automatically grant any additional professional profile.

3. Not all profiles need a Test. For roles in which experience, responsibility, portfolio or seniority are particularly important, documentary verification may be preferred.

Article 17 — Test Rules

1. Before the start of the test, the candidate must be able to know the number of questions, the possible duration, the passing threshold, the number of attempts available and the main rules of conduct.

2. These parameters can be updated by the Association and the Technical Scientific Committee in relation to the evolution of the system.

3. Any credits or scores used within the platform have exclusively internal value and do not constitute CFU, ECTS, academic qualifications or publicly recognized credits.

Article 18 — Regularity of the tests

1. The tests must be carried out personally by the candidate. The replacement of a person, the use of other people's accounts, unauthorized assistance, the copying or dissemination of questions and any attempt to automatically reconstruct or extract the database are prohibited.

2. In the presence of irregularities, the outcome may be suspended or canceled.

3. In the event of technical malfunctions, the Association can restore the session, return an attempt, cancel the test without consequences or confirm the outcome when regularly acquired.

Article 19 — Verification through professional experience

1. The candidate can access the procedures provided through the evaluation of the skills gained in the professional activity, when this method is admitted.

2. The evaluation is entrusted to the Technical Scientific Committee or to the subjects appointed by it and is aimed at verifying the relevance, consistency and traceability of the evidence presented.

Article 20 — Professional evidence

1. In support of their experience, the candidate may submit resumes, titles, letters of assignment, contracts, client statements, portfolios, contents, campaigns, plans, reports, dashboards, projects and other relevant documentation.

2. The evidence must make it possible to understand the personal contribution actually made by the candidate. Personal, commercial or confidential data not necessary for the evaluation must be obscured where possible.

3. The candidate is responsible for the authenticity of the documentation submitted.

Article 21 — Outcome of the evaluation

1. The evaluation takes into account the relevance and verifiability of the evidence, the duration and continuity of the experience, the level of autonomy and responsibility and the consistency with the requested profile.

2. The Committee may request clarifications or additions within the deadline indicated in the procedure.

3. The outcome may be favorable, subject to supplements or prescriptions, or not favorable. Eligibility does not complete the enrollment until the additional required obligations are completed.

Article 22 — Recognition of additional profiles

1. The member may request the recognition of one or more additional professional profiles as required by the respective forms.

2. Recognition can take place through tests, document verification, professional experience, portfolio, qualifications, interview or a combination of these elements.

3. The recognition only certifies the consistency of the elements evaluated with the internal standard adopted for the profile and does not constitute a guarantee of future performance or results.

TITLE V — REGISTRATION, FEES AND RENEWALS

Article 23 — Associative Relationship and Register

1. The membership relationship and registration in the Register remain conceptually distinct, even when they are managed through a single administrative and economic procedure.

2. In the current model, the regularity of the membership position is a condition for maintaining registration in the Register when this is required by the applicable Year.

3. Membership in the Association alone does not automatically grant the Digital Communicator profile, which presupposes the successful completion of the professional access procedure.

Article 24 — Year

1. The general temporal and economic conditions are defined through specific Year published by the Association.

2. The Annuity establishes the period of validity, the amount of the membership fee, the ordinary renewal deadline, any grace period and the services or profiles included.

3. The expiry of the membership position and the Register is determined by the applicable Year and is made known to the interested party.

Article 25 — Membership Fee and Digital Communicator

1. In the current economic model, the The annual membership fee includes the registration or renewal of the Register of Digital Communicators and the maintenance of the Digital Communicator system profile.

2. . The candidate therefore does not purchase the Digital Communicator profile separately. In the economic summary, the Registry and the system profile may be indicated as components included in the main share without additional consideration.

3. The applicable amount is the amount indicated in the current Year and is shown before payment.

Article 26 — Determination of economic conditions

1. The membership fee is determined by the current year. Any contributions related to additional professional profiles are instead determined by the respective professional files.

2. All amounts must be made known to the interested party before payment.

3. Subsequent economic changes do not affect payments already completed.

Article 27 — Professional profiles and annual contributions

1. An additional professional profile may be free, included in the main fee or subject to a specific annual contribution. The relevant conditions are indicated in the profile sheet.

2. The first activation can be expected at no additional cost and the contribution can only start from the next renewal.

3. In this case, the professional can obtain the recognition of the profile without immediate payment; the contribution will then be included in the renewal request according to the current conditions.

4. The payment of a contribution never determines, on its own, the attribution of a professional profile in the absence of prior recognition of the related requirements.

Article 28 — Promotions and discount codes

1. The Association may introduce promotions, concessions and discount codes applicable to the membership fee, to specific profiles, services or procedures.

2. The benefits can be applied automatically, by means of a promotional code or by an authorized operator and can consist of a percentage reduction or a fixed amount.

3. The original price, any reduction and the final amount must be clearly understandable before payment.

4. Promotional codes must be used before payment and are subject to the conditions of validity, use and cumulability defined for each initiative.

Article 29 — Payments

1. The Association may make available one or more payment methods, including online gateways, bank transfer or other administratively managed methods.

2. Before paying, the user must be able to consult the summary of the items, any discounts and the total amount due.

3. The automatic renewal of the administrative position does not imply an automatic debit on a card or other payment instrument in the absence of a specific valid mandate.

Article 30 — Renewal

1. The renewal is determined on the basis of the current Year and the professional position of the member.

2. The request may include the membership fee and any annual contributions relating to additional active and subject to renewal professional profiles.

3. Profiles configured with non-selective renewal are included in the renewal composition as long as they are active. The interested party may renounce the profile according to the available procedures, thus ceasing to be able to use it as active recognition in the Registry.

4. Failure to renew the main position may result in the suspension of connected professional profiles.

Article 31 — Discipline of registrations made in 2026

1. The new registrations completed during 2026 are valid until December 31, 2027, according to the extraordinary year established by the Association.

2. The member is therefore not required to carry out a further ordinary renewal during 2027. The first subsequent renewal refers to the deadline of December 31, 2027.

3. For members who benefit from this condition, additional professional profiles recognized and activated by December 31, 2027 can be included without additional contributions until the first renewal, when the relevant card includes the first activation included and the economic starting date from the next renewal.

4. This benefit concerns only economic treatment and does not exempt the candidate from meeting the requirements and checks required for the recognition of the profile.

TITLE VI — PUBLIC REGISTER AND USE OF QUALIFICATIONS

Article 32 — Consultation of the Register

1. Active members can be consulted through the Public Register using the search and verification tools made available by the Association.

2. The search may use identification data, registration number, territory, professional profiles, skills or application sectors depending on the available functionalities.

3. The Register does not constitute a ranking list and the order of the results does not represent a recommendation or a comparative judgment of the Association.

Article 33 — Public Data

1. The public profile may include first and last name, registration number, status and validity of the position, Digital Communicator profile and other recognized professional profiles.

2. Skills, fields of application, territory, photography, biography, website, portfolio, contact details and professional connections can also be published, in the manner prescribed by the system.

3. Unnecessary personal or administrative data, such as tax code, identity document, residential address, payment data or analytical test results, are not made public.

4. The subscriber is informed that public content can be indexed by search engines, crawlers and other automatic indexing systems.

Article 34 — Update of data

1. The member is required to keep the information relating to their professional position up to date.

2. Changes relating to identifying data or relevant information may be subject to verification. False, misleading, or illegal information may be removed or obscured.

Article 35 — Registration document

1. The Association may make available a digital document certifying the registration status, the identification number, the period of validity and any recognized professional profiles.

2. This document does not constitute a diploma, state certification, academic qualification, public qualification or enrollment in a professional order and must be distinguished from any certificate provided for by Law no. 4/2013.

Article 36 — Use of the names

1. The active member may declare their registration in the Register by indicating the identification number and, when appropriate, the period of validity.

2. The owner of an additional profile can declare that this profile has been recognized as part of the Register of Digital Communicators.

3. It is forbidden to use formulations that may lead the public to believe that the Register constitutes a public register or that the professional is qualified, certified or recognized by a Ministry or the State when this does not correspond to reality.

Article 37 — Trademarks and distinctive signs

1. The trademarks and distinctive signs of the Register may be used exclusively by authorized persons and under the conditions established by the Association.

2. They cannot be modified, transferred to third parties, used after suspension or cancellation, nor used in such a way as to assume that the Association guarantees specific services, products or professional results.

TITLE VII — PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATIONS

Article 38 — Duties of the member

1. The member is required to act with fairness, transparency and responsibility, complying with the Code of Ethics and Deontology and operating within the limits of their actual skills.

2. You must correctly represent titles and experiences, respect confidentiality, personal data protection, copyright and intellectual property, and avoid misleading or manipulative communications.

3. The member also undertakes to use artificial intelligence and automation tools responsibly and to keep their skills properly updated.

Article 39 — Professional updating

1. The Association promotes permanent professional updating.

2. Any training obligations become binding only after the publication of specific rules that define recognized activities, reference period, documentation methods and any consequences of non-compliance. These obligations cannot be applied retroactively.

TITLE VIII - CHECKS, COMPLAINTS AND MEASURES

Article 40 - Verifications

1. The Association and, for professional matters, the Technical Scientific Committee can verify the permanence of the requirements of the members and the recognized profiles.

2. Verifications can take place periodically, on a sample basis or as a result of reports and must guarantee the interested party the opportunity to provide clarifications and documentation.

Article 41 — Desk for the consumer citizen

1. The Association makes available a reference desk for the consumer citizen in accordance with the provisions of the applicable legislation.

2. The Desk provides information on the Register, on professional qualifications, on the status of registration and on the methods for submitting complaints and may facilitate, where applicable, tools for conciliation or alternative dispute resolution.

Article 42 — Complaints

1. Anyone can file a documented complaint regarding the conduct of a member.

2. The professional concerned must be able to know the disputes and submit their comments, in compliance with confidentiality and the applicable provisions.

Article 43 — Procedure

1. The proceedings may be initiated as a result of a complaint, official control, loss of requirements, statements or documents that are not true, violations of the Regulations or the Code of Ethics, misuse of qualifications or other behavior potentially harmful to the integrity of the Registry.

2. The interested party must receive the essential elements of the dispute and have an adequate deadline to submit comments and documents. The final decision must be motivated.

Article 44 — Measures

1. In relation to the seriousness and repetition of the facts, a reminder, a request for integration or updating, suspension or revocation of skills and professional profiles, suspension or cancellation from the Register and revocation of the authorization to use trademarks may be adopted.

2. In the cases provided for by the Statute, measures relating to the associative relationship may also be adopted.

Article 45 — Preliminary suspension and review

1. In the presence of serious events or a real risk for users or for the integrity of the Registry, a temporary and motivated precautionary suspension may be ordered.

2. The interested party may request a review of the measure within thirty days of communication, except for any more favorable terms provided for by the procedure.

TITLE IX — WAIVER, DATA AND SECURITY

Article 46 — Waiver and Cancellation

1. The member may renounce the Registry or one or more additional professional profiles according to the available procedures.

2. The termination of the registration involves the loss of active status, the termination of the right to use the related qualifications and the suspension or termination of the profiles that depend on the Registry.

3. The cancellation of office may be ordered in the event of non-renewal, loss of requirements, false documents, serious ethical violation, fraudulent use of the platform, non-payment of the amounts due or other causes provided for by the legislation and the Statute.

Article 47 — Protection of personal data

1. The processing of personal data is governed by the privacy policy published by the Association.

2. The data necessary for the management of the relationship, the professional data intended for the Public Registry, the optional information and any optional consents are separated. Promotional consent is not a condition for enrollment.

Article 48 — Platform security

1. The Association adopts technical and organizational measures proportionate to the risks and may use automatic tools for preventing abuse, protecting access and verifying requests.

2. Abusive access to systems, circumvention of security measures, interference with other user accounts, introduction of malicious code, unauthorized mass scraping, and systematic extraction of registry data or databases are prohibited.

3. Relevant operations can be recorded for security, auditing and system protection purposes.

TITLE X — FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 49 — Ownership of contents and databases

1. Trademarks, original content, evidence structure, questions, databases and other original elements of the platform are protected by applicable law.

2. The unauthorized reproduction or dissemination of Test applications is prohibited. The professional contents uploaded by users remain under the responsibility of their respective owners and can be used by the Association to the extent necessary to manage the Registry and the public profile.

Article 50 — Evolution of the Registry and regulatory changes

1. The Registry constitutes a dynamic professional system. The Association can therefore introduce or update profiles, skills, application sectors, tests, verification methods, services and economic conditions.

2. This Regulation may be amended for regulatory, technical, organizational or professional needs. Each version is identified by number and date of entry into force.

3. Substantial changes are communicated to the members and, when necessary, they may request a new acceptance. The rights finally accrued and the amounts already finalized remain unaffected, except for mandatory legal obligations.

Article 51 — Responsibility of the Association

1. The Association is responsible for the organization and management of the Register within the limits established by applicable legislation.

2. The Register does not guarantee the obtaining of orders, the conclusion of contracts, economic results, the quality of the professional's future performance or his behavior after enrollment.

3. The recognition of a profile represents the outcome of a procedure based on the information and evidence available at the time of the evaluation.

Article 52 — Applicable law and entry into force

1. This Regulation is governed by Italian law.

2. Before recourse to the judicial authority, the Association's Desk, the internal complaint procedure, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution tools may be used, when applicable. The mandatory provisions provided for the protection of consumers remain unaffected.

3. The Regulation comes into force from the date indicated on the title page and replaces the previous versions for the procedures following its entry into force.

4. Already existing subscribers may be invited to accept the new version at the first useful login or at the next renewal. Validly acquired awards remain unaffected, unless the requirements or measures adopted in accordance with these Regulations are lost.

ELECTRONIC DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE

I declare that I have fully read and accept the General Regulations of the Register of Digital Communicators, version 2.0, and the current Code of Ethics and Deontological Code.

I declare that I have understood the private, voluntary, associative and non-legal nature of the Register and that the registration, the Digital Communicator profile and any additional professional profiles do not constitute public authorization, academic qualification, enrollment in a professional order or college, ministerial certification or recognition of the profession by the State.

☐ I accept the Regulations and the Code of Ethics and Deontology.

☐ I declare that I have read the information on the processing of personal data.

☐ I am aware that professional data published in the Register may be indexed by search engines and other automatic indexing systems.

Any optional consents are presented separately and are not pre-selected.

SPECIFIC APPROVAL OF CLAUSES

Pursuant to and for the purposes of articles 1341 and 1342 of the Civil Code, where applicable, the user declares to have specifically read the provisions relating to the rules and cancellation of tests, evaluation procedures, contributions and renewals of professional profiles, promotions and discount codes, payments, the special discipline of registrations 2026, the use of qualifications and brands, checks, procedures and suspensions , cancellation, platform security, database ownership, regulatory changes and liability limits.

☐ I declare that I specifically approve the provisions mentioned above, after having read them.