Self-regulation in the digital age

25 January 2007

Time is running out to develop a system of self-regulation for the digital age according to the Advertising Standards Authority's (ASA) Director General Christopher Graham.  Delivering the keynote speech at the Westminster e-forum on Regulation in the Future, Mr Graham warned that it would be a challenging task requiring agreement between advertisers, their agencies and both old and new media.

Mr Graham said that the debate about the regulation of new media advertising should not be seen as a mere distraction from more pressing issues about advertising of food.  Consumers do not make a distinction between advertising standards in old and new media and expect ads wherever they appear to be legal, decent, honest and truthful.

The regulation of new media advertising is not merely a debate about technological change.  Instead, we are entering an era of new thinking around regulation itself.  The traditional regulation of business is being challenged in the name of Better Regulation and by a drive towards risk based, principles based regulation.  The ASA will not be left untouched by these developments.

Mr Graham rejected the idea of an 'opt-in' approach to advertising standards online whereby brands would volunteer their websites for regulation by the ASA.  Pointing to the power of consumers to make or break brands online, he said that the existing self-regulatory system can help minimise the risk of consumer disaffection.  By taking pre-publication advice, companies can help avoid an ASA declaration that their ads are misleading, socially irresponsible or unacceptable: "It seems to me that the ASA's role in determining what is or is not misleading will remain a key factor in online advertising. The ASA will continue to determine what is offside, providing consumers with information and reassurance that there are online brands that can be trusted and others that should be treated with caution."

Download a PDF document of the full speech.