New advertising code bans performance porkies

Britain's advertising industry has published draft proposals for updating its code of practice for the internet age.

One proposed rule bans advertisers and marketers from exaggerating the performance of their products, figures for which must be based on "normal use".

This could affect the way broadband speeds are advertised, and could open a can of worms for vendors of Wifi equipment who splash speed ratings rather than true data throughput – and often assume the doubling-up of channels, equivalent to road-hogging.

Advertisers will also have to spell out qualifications to offers made in ads that people may see or hear only once; they will also have to clarify exactly what they mean by the word "free" when used in ads. Other proposal include:

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  * Restrictions on broadcasting ads for age-restricted video games at times children are likely to be viewing or listening.
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  * A ban on collection marketing data from under-12s without the consent of their parent. Marketers would also be banned from collecting information from under-16s about their friends.
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  * An explicit rule against exaggerating the environmental benefits of products.
  But the rules do not cover advertising a company websites, which fall outside the remit of the two bodies drawing up the code, the print-oriented Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP).

A decision on whether to extend the remit of CAP so cover websites is the subject of a separate Advertising Association project.

CAP and BCAP are inviting public responses to the proposals, details of which are on the CAP site. Responses must be submitted by June 19.

The conclusions will be published later this year and the new codes are expected to come into force in 2010.