TalkTalk have been informed by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) that they can no longer advertise their new internet security system ‘Homesafe’ as the ‘UK’s safest broadband’, following a complaint by rival BT that the new system only offers basic security.
The internet service provider (ISP) launched HomeSafe in May 2011. The system aims to stop children from being able to access adult content online and has been heavily marketed by TalkTalk since the launch
BT and two members of the public filed complaints with the ASA that centred around an advertising campaign that featured on television, posters and in the national press which claimed that HomeSafe means that TalkTalk customers have access to the ‘UK’s safest broadband’. The complaints argued that TalkTalk’s claim was both misleading to customers and in breach of advertising code.
TalkTalk stressed that the claim was legitimate as the company applies security features at a network level. TalkTalk is the only home broadband provider in the UK that does this. The system informs users of sites that potentially host viruses and allows those with children to restrict access to particular websites. This is different from other providers, who make software available for download that must be installed by the user on every device they wish to restrict.
The company did admit, however, that the claim of being the ’safest’ in the country only stretched as far as where the broadband connection enters a home, not to any devices that may be connected wirelessly within the space.
The ASA ruled that TalkTalk’s advertising implied that customers would receive the safest online experience available and that customers were bound to assume that ’safest’ meant full security covering protection from viruses and hacking, not simply restricted access to some websites. This made the campaign misleading and the ASA therefore banned the adverts from appearing on television or in print again.