The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK’s independent advertising regulator, adjudicates on complaints about advertising made under the new Advertising Codes, in force since 01 September 2010.

ASA’s current remit does not include regulation of general site content but only paid-for online advertising and sales promotions.

From 01 March 2011, ASA will be able to regulate and intervene in relation to:

• advertisers’ own marketing communications on their websites, to ensure that their standard is as high as in newspapers and TV;  and
• marketing communications in non paid-for space under their control such as social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

to ensure that the principles of misleading advertising, consumer protection, protection of children and similar are implemented across all sectors and all businesses and organizations, regardless of size. ASA intervention and regulation powers will not apply to journalistic and editorial content and marketing related to ideas unless they solicit or encourage fundraising donations.

ASA will be undertaking an ongoing, quarterly review of the extended remit with the intention of carrying out a comprehensive review of its new powers towards to mid of 2013.

In addition to the potential sanctions ASA can currently impose, from 1 March 2011, ASA will be able to impose the following sanctions:

1. to request, with the agreement of search engines, the removal of paid-for links to pages hosting a banned advertisement; and
2. to name and shame a non complying advertiser by placing its own adverts online highlighting continued refusal to comply with a ruling.

Consumer magazine “Which” anticipates that advertisements and claims for technology services including broadband services are likely to come under scrutiny under the new rules.