By Kelly Fiveash for The
Register.
This story has been reproduced with permission.
Lord Chris Smith, in his first day as chairman of the
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), said he wanted to respond to
growing public concern over misleading claims by internet
adverts.
The ASA's remit only covers paid-for media placements but the
vast majority of complaints are about advertisers's websites rather
than actual ads.
This means that claims made on an advertisers' website are
deemed editorial content and effectively pass under the regulator's
radar.
Former culture secretary Smith was speaking in today's
Financial Times about the frustrations faced by web users
being misled by commercial claims.
Smith said: "Progress is slow, and public concern is rising.
"If I were a benevolent dictator (I would
say) probably: 'No, this is not a quick enough pace'."
As we reported in April, complaints about online ads have risen
by a massive 33 per cent. Yet, despite the explosion in dubious
web-based ads, the ASA has little power to intervene.
Much of the problem relates to the fact that many trade bodies
operating on the internet have not signed up to the ASA's voluntary
code of conduct, making online regulatory responsibility
unclear.
According to the FT, industry insiders expect Smith
will push for some form of internet agreement across the
advertising sector.
Smith said: "The ASA can't go wading in with heavy boots and
dictating to anyone...What I certainly want to do over the course
of the next few months is to have a discussion with the industry
about whether we can move forward.
"From all the things that it tells us, the
public views websites as effectively advertising tools for a
company or organisation. It would like to have some kind of
reassurance about what is said on those sites. The ASA can
potentially help with that."
© The Register
2007
