Specific rules to uproot deceptive ads

The United States' leading toothpaste producer Crest received a record fine of 6.03 million yuan ($978,000) on Monday, for a deceptive advertisement that exaggerates the whitening effect of one of its products, according to the Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce. Comments:

The fine on Crest makes clear the country's official determination to call a halt to deceptive advertising. But this is not the end until other "accomplices", including advertising endorsers (mostly celebrities) and advertisement publishers, are duly punished as well. Only by doing so can the false advertising be fundamentally curbed and thus the customers' interests be better protected.

Dai Xianren, a guest commentator with Legal Daily, March 10