Underhand ad techniques made illegal

11/06/2008

Underhand online advertising techniques such as 'sock-puppeting' and 'astroturfing' have been made illegal and culprits caught in the act will face prosecution, fines and even jail.

Sock-puppeting, where a company posts numerous positive comments about itself under different names, and astroturfing, where a company uses websites to create a false sense of grassroots support, are just two of the banned techniques.

L'Oreal, Sony and Wal-Mart are just a few of the companies who have been found out over the past few years.

CMS Cameron lawyer Phillip Carnell told the BBC that it will bring more integrity to the marketing sector.

"This brings in a new concept of fairness, a brave new world for businesses dealing with consumers and advertising," he said.

"If marketing companies are going to try and be sneaky, that will now be a strictly liable criminal offence."

The minimum fine is £5,000, but for more serious cases the fine is unlimited with jail terms of up to two years.

The new rules cover public ratings websites as well as fake business blogs.