Advertising Standards Authority

The Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom) checks the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. It does not enforce the law. Its code of advertising practice is generally in line with the law. The ASA is not paid for by the British government, but by a voluntary payment of about 0.1% on display advertising costs.

Its job is to "regulate the content of advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing in the UK" by investigating "complaints made about ads, sales promotions or direct marketing", and deciding whether such advertising meets its advertising standards codes. These codes say that "before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation" and that "no marketing communication should mislead, or be likely to mislead, by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or otherwise".

The agency has also restricted ads with women not fully dressed.

There are similar organisations in many other countries.