Advertising Standards Authority
The Advertising Standards Authority is the UK advertising industry's self-regulatory body, dealing with misleading advertising in the UK so as to head off more stringent government regulation. Surprisingly, it actually works really well.
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An ASA ruling has no direct legal force. However, being ruled against and then defying the ruling makes a conviction under trading standards regulations almost a slam-dunk.
It is a particular delight when dealing with the claims of alternative medicine woomeisters, and getting them to stop claiming dangerous rubbish.[1] The Nightingale Collaboration in particular has used ASA complaints about quacks to great effect.[2]
There is an equivalent Irish body, ASAI (Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland),[3] which was similarly set up by the advertising industry and is similarly harsh on bad alternative medicine claims.[4]