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ADVERTISING - How companies talk about themselves on Twitter feeds or Facebook profiles is to be policed like adverts. Following on from our news item last month entitled Don't Get Caught Out, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) now has powers to police the claims companies make on websites and social networks.

The rules cover statements on sites that can be interpreted as marketing, even if they are not in an advert.

Extending the UK advertising code to non paid-for statements means that these, like paid-for adverts, must not harm, mislead or offend.

While aimed primarily at sites using the .co.uk domain suffix, the ASA said its powers could also cover .com sites, such as Facebook, if the online space being used was under the control of a UK firm.

User-generated content, such as comments left by customers on a website, will not be covered by the extended powers. But the ASA said that such content could be examined if a company adopted it and used positive endorsements to advertise.

 
Source - BBC News