Real Estate and Illegal Betting Ads Top ASCI's Code Violation List
In the first half of FY25, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) reviewed 4016 complaints and investigated 3031 advertisements, finding that real estate and illegal betting ads were the biggest offenders in terms of code violations.
AsciReal EstateIllegal BettingCode ViolationsConsumer ProtectionReal Estate MaharashtraNov 27, 2024
Realty (34%), illegal betting (29%), healthcare (8%), personal care (7%), and food & beverage (6%) emerged as the top five categories with the highest number of violations. According to the report, 2,087 of the advertisements investigated were found to be in violation of the law. A significant 1,027 of these were reported to the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ASCI and MahaRERA.
ASCI also alerted the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) about 890 advertisements promoting illegal betting, 10 directly promoting liquor, and four related to deepfakes. Additionally, 156 advertisements that violated the Drugs and Magic Remedies (DMR) Act were brought to the attention of the Ministry of Ayush.
The 890 advertisements flagged to the MIB were promoting illegal offshore betting platforms, often exploiting digital spaces such as fan pages, tickers, and influencers. Specifically, 831 of these posts were from Instagram, appearing as tickers and tags on fan and community pages that directed users to offshore betting platforms. ASCI also identified 50 websites/social media pages and nine influencer posts promoting illegal betting apps and platforms. After the intervention, several of these pages were taken down by the platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the role of ASCI in regulating advertisements?
ASCI, the Advertising Standards Council of India, is a voluntary self-regulatory organization that ensures advertisements are legal, decent, honest, and truthful. It reviews and investigates complaints across various media to protect consumers from misleading or harmful content.
Which categories of advertisements had the highest number of code violations in the first half of FY25?
Realty (34%), illegal betting (29%), healthcare (8%), personal care (7%), and food & beverage (6%) were the top five categories with the highest number of code violations during this period.
How many advertisements were reported to MahaRERA by ASCI?
ASCI reported 1,027 advertisements to the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organizations.
What is the significance of ASCI's partnership with government regulators?
The partnership between ASCI and government regulators like MahaRERA and MIB is crucial for creating an impetus for better oversight and ensuring that advertisements adhere to ethical standards, thereby protecting consumers from harmful or misleading content.
What other focus areas does ASCI have besides real estate and illegal betting?
Besides real estate and illegal betting, ASCI is also focusing on areas such as greenwashing, where they released guidelines earlier in 2024. The organization aims to provide better protection to consumers by addressing various ethical concerns in advertising.
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