The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has announced that it will extend its powers to cover online advertising.

From March 2011, the ASA will start applying its strict advertising rules to online ads and marketing. News of the ASA’s move to online policing comes just days after the body banned a BT advert for misleading customers over broadband speeds.

BBC News report that under the changes, the ASA will also have the power to ban misleading marketing statements on social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

The ASA received around 3,500 complaints last year, but it was unable to act on more than half of the offending adverts as they fell outside of the watchdog’s remit.

Websites have been set a deadline of 1 March 2011 to comply with the new rules, which will apply to all online adverts and statements on websites that seek to sell products or services.

According to The Financial Times, websites who fail to comply with the new rules will be placed in a “rogues’ gallery” on the ASA website. In addition, warnings will appear in search results alongside a list of companies who refuse to follow the code.

“This is a massive step,” an ASA spokesman told BBC News. “Consumers don’t differentiate between adverts on TV or online and this ensures that claims online will be subject to the same strict scrutiny of those in traditional media.”

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