Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Advertising Standards Authority to Receive Complaint About Microsoft



Slated.org



Summary: The author of Slated.org (screenshot above) will report Microsoft's lies and other abuses to the ASA

"Homer" (or "Slated" as some people know him) links to our leaked information which shows that Microsoft pays companies to claim to recommend Windows (advertisement disguised as endorsement). In E-mail correspondence he showed us this new report, which we recently covered in a batch of daily links. "Stricter rules for internet adverts" it claims:



Companies who advertise on the internet will face stricter rules and regulations from next month.

Until now, The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has only been able to monitor traditional advertising found on billboards, in newspapers or on television.

But from March 1, its powers will extend to regulating commercial websites and businesses who promote their products using social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.


Slated has explained that he is determined to pursue this in the UK. Quoting his message in full:

Some time ago I discussed the UK's tough line on deceptive advertising, noting that adverts on radio, television and print needed to be clearly labelled as such in the UK, and are not allowed to be disguised to look like impartial recommendations. If it's paid commercial advertising, it must say so. Period. That's the Advertising Standards Authority's rule, and indeed the law in the UK - The Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988, and the CAP Code:

[quote] 23.2 Marketers and publishers should make clear that advertisement features are advertisements, for example by heading them "advertisement feature". [/quote]

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/codes/cap_code/ShowCode.htm?clause_id=1564

UK readers are very familiar with this, as they'll have noticed various pages in newspapers clearly labelled "ADVERTISEMENT" for years now, but some of our transatlantic friends here in COLA seemed rather shocked by the revelation, since apparently US regulations for deceptive promotion are somewhat lacking (Section 5 of the FTC Act doesn't require explicit designation of advertising).

My interest was, and still is, in exposing this scam where PC retailers "Recommend Windows". In fact, those seemingly impartial recommendations are nothing but commercial advertisements paid for by Microsoft, and as such need to be labelled clearly as adverts, so visitors to those sites understand explicitly that this is not an impartial "recommendation" at all. At which point, of course, the deceitful purpose of these ads will be completely exposed, and they'll most probably be withdrawn, bringing competing systems like GNU/Linux one small step closer towards parity.

That is my hope.

http://techrights.org/2008/12/01/leaked-oem-vista-ad-incentives/ https://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.advocacy/browse_thread/...

But there was just one small problem. The ASA's authority didn't extend to Web sites...

Until now:

[quote] Stricter rules for internet adverts

Companies who advertise on the internet will face stricter rules and regulations from next month.

Until now, The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has only been able to monitor traditional advertising found on billboards, in newspapers or on television.

But from March 1, its powers will extend to regulating commercial websites and businesses who promote their products using social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Under the change, internet users will be able to make official objections about any indecent or misleading information they find online.

The ASA has spent a year preparing for the reform, and is expanding staff numbers by 10% to deal with the extra complaints it expects.

"The principle that ads have to be legal, decent, honest and truthful is now going to extend to companies claims on their own websites," Matt Wilson, of the ASA told the BBC.

Both adverts and claims on a company's website which could be interpreted as marketing will be policed by the authority.

Last year, 2,500 people complained about website content, but under the old rules their objections were not admissible. [/quote]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jAy_kI2v5QU_R4...

I'm drafting my formal complaint right now. In fact, I'm thinking about organising a petition at "petitiononline" to lend further weight to it.

I'll let you know when it's up and running.


There is also Microsoft's Twitter AstroTurf, which we covered here a lot of times. It carries on and there are bot accounts of Microsoft roaming that site, pinging and adding as 'friends' (or 'following') opponents of Microsoft.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Comparing U.E.F.I. to B.I.O.S. (Bloat and Insecurity to K.I.S.S.)
By Sami Tikkanen
New 'Slides' From Stallman Support (stallmansupport.org) Site
"In celebration of RMS's birthday, we've been playing a bit. We extracted some quotes from the various articles, comments, letters, writings, etc. and put them in the form of a slideshow in the home page."
Thailand: GNU/Linux Up to 6% of Desktops/Laptops, According to statCounter
Desktop Operating System Market Share Thailand
António Campinos is Still 'The Fucking President' (in His Own Words) After a Fake 'Election' in 2022 (He Bribed All the Voters to Keep His Seat)
António Campinos and the Administrative Council, whose delegates he clearly bribed with EPO budget in exchange for votes
Adrian von Bidder, homeworking & Debian unexplained deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Sainsbury’s Epic Downtime Seems to be Microsoft's Fault and Might Even Constitute a Data Breach (Legal Liability)
one of Britain's largest groceries (and beyond) chains
 
People Don't Just Kill Themselves (Same for Other Animals)
And recent reports about Boeing whistleblower John Barnett
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 18, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 18, 2024
Suicide Cluster Cover-up tactics & Debian exposed
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 19/03/2024: A Society That Lost Focus and Abandoning Social Control Media
Links for the day
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE: Plagiarism & Child labour in YH4F
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Linux Foundation Boasting About Being Connected to Bill Gates
Examples of boasting about the association
Alexandre Oliva's Article on Monstering Cults
"I'm told an earlier draft version of this post got published elsewhere. Please consider this IMHO improved version instead."
[Meme] 'Russian' Elections in Munich (Bavaria, Germany)
fake elections
Sainsbury's to Techrights: Yes, Our Web Site Broke Down, But We Cannot Say Which Part or Why
Windows TCO?
Plagiarism: Axel Beckert (ETH Zurich) & Debian Developer list hacking
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 18/03/2024: Putin Cements Power
Links for the day
Flashback 2003: Debian has always had a toxic culture
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
[Meme] You Know You're Winning the Argument When...
EPO management starts cursing at everybody (which is what's happening)
Catspaw With Attitude
The posts "they" complain about merely point out the facts about this harassment and doxing
'Clown Computing' Businesses Are Waning and the Same Will Happen to 'G.A.I.' Businesses (the 'Hey Hi' Fame)
decrease in "HEY HI" (AI) hype
Free Software Needs Watchdogs, Too
Gentle lapdogs prevent self-regulation and transparency
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE analogous to identity fraud
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 18/03/2024: LLM Inference and Can We Survive Technology?
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 17, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, March 17, 2024
Links 17/03/2024: Microsoft Windows Shoves Ads Into Third-Party Software, More Countries Explore TikTok Ban
Links for the day
Molly Russell suicide & Debian Frans Pop, Lucy Wayland, social media deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Our Plans for Spring
Later this year we turn 18 and a few months from now our IRC community turns 16
Open Invention Network (OIN) Fails to Explain If Linux is Safe From Microsoft's Software Patent Royalties (Charges)
Keith Bergelt has not replied to queries on this very important matter
RedHat.com, Brought to You by Microsoft Staff
This is totally normal, right?
USPTO Corruption: People Who Don't Use Microsoft Will Be Penalised ~$400 for Each Patent Filing
Not joking!
The Hobbyists of Mozilla, Where the CEO is a Bigger Liability Than All Liabilities Combined
the hobbyist in chief earns much more than colleagues, to say the least; the number quadrupled in a matter of years
Jim Zemlin Says Linux Foundation Should Combat Fraud Together With the Gates Foundation. Maybe They Should Start With Jim's Wife.
There's a class action lawsuit for securities fraud
Not About Linux at All!
nobody bothers with the site anymore; it's marketing, and now even Linux
Links 17/03/2024: Abuses Against Human Rights, Tesla Settlement (and Crash)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 16, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, March 16, 2024
Under Taliban, GNU/Linux Share Nearly Doubled in Afghanistan, Windows Sank From About 90% to 68.5%
Suffice to say, we're not meaning to imply Taliban is "good"
Debian aggression: woman asked about her profession
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 17/03/2024: Winter Can't Hurt Us Anymore and Playstation Plus
Links for the day