China cracks down on misleading TV advertising

China’s broadcasting watchdog, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), has ordered a broadcast ban for 55 advertisements for consultation and TV shopping services, as it says they have violated relevant regulations, China Daily reports.

The banned ads include a watch advertisement that uses the name of former Chairman Mao Zedong, violating a SARFT regulation that forbids the use of state leaders’ names in advertisements. Other ads for dieting solutions and breast enlargement were banned for false or misleading content.

Creators of televised shopping programs have been criticized for fraudulent practices, including the sale of substandard products.