Government Cracks Down on Misleading Ads | India News

NEW DELHI: To protect people from being exploited or impacted by misleading advertisements, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has notified new guidelines to stop them on all platforms – regardless of form , their format or their medium – and completely prohibited the substitution Advertising. The new guidelines also include standards for ads that seek to entice consumers with “discounted” and “free” offers, as well as ads that target children.
The ban on surrogate advertising is gaining importance as it promotes regulated products like cigarettes and alcohol under the disguise of another product like music CDs, sodas and pan masala.
The notification, which took effect on Friday, sets out the responsibility of manufacturers, advertisers, ad agencies and endorsers to stop misleading advertisements by exercising due diligence on the products and services they promote. It prohibits advertisements from exaggerating features of a product or service in a way that leads children to have unrealistic expectations of it. Health or nutrition benefit claims, which are not scientifically substantiated by a recognized body, are now prohibited under the guidelines.

The guidelines state that ads targeting children must not feature any sports, music or movie personalities for products that by law require a health warning or may not be purchased by children. . It was clarified that advertisements that target children must not develop a negative body image in children, give the impression that these goods, products or services are better than the natural or traditional foods they can consume.
In issuing the standards, Union Consumer Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said one of the main aims of the guidelines is full disclosure of details by manufacturers and advertisers, as consumers have the “right to know” before making any decision to use a product or service. .
According to CCPA Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, under the new guidelines, manufacturers and advertisers must state the source and date of independent research or evaluation if there is a claim that the advertisement is based on or supported by such research or assessments. “All disclaimers in an advertisement should be in the same language and the same letter size so people can read them easily. If promoters or shareholders approve of something, they should disclose it,” she added. .
Violation of the standards can lead to the imposition of a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for the first offense and up to Rs 50 lakh for subsequent ones.