MTN My Choice Top-Up / K Muller / 630

Ruling of the: ASA Directorate
In the matter between:
Karl Muller Appellant
MTN Service Provider (Pty) Ltd t/a MTN & Another Respondent

28 Apr 2005

Mr Muller lodged a consumer complaint against a CNA radio commercial, for an MTN product, that was flighted on Highveld Stereo on 6 January 2005.

The commercial features a little girl telling her teacher about what she did during her holidays. The girl states, inter alia, “…I did it all on my Nokia thirty two twenty, with camera, polyphonic ringstones and games that my Mom got me on MTN’s My Choice top-up…”

COMPLAINT

The complainant submitted that the commercial:

• Encourages children to use cell-phones for non-essential purposes.

• Is manipulative as it directly undermines the social fabric by encouraging children to feel that they know more than adults.

The complainant further submitted that the respondent should be forced to issue a compensatory commercial, stressing that it does not wish to be seen to be marketing to children.

RELEVANT CLAUSES OF THE CODE OF ADVERTISING PRACTICE
In light of the complaint the following clauses of the Code were taken into account:

• Section I, Clause 1.2 – Responsibility to the consumer

• Section II, Clause 13 – Safety

• Section II, Clause 14 - Children

RESPONSE

The First Respondent submitted, inter alia, that:

* It is not its intention to advertise to children or take advantage of them in any way.

* The advertised products can only be purchased by adults.

* The CNA creative team produced the commercial, and the First Respondent was not given an opportunity to approve the commercial prior to broadcast. The First Respondent can therefore not be held responsible for the advertisement that was produced in error by the CNA creative team.

* It instructed the responsible advertising agency to withdraw the commercial immediately when the commercial was brought to its attention.

In a further response, the Second Respondent confirmed that the advertisement will not be used again in future in its current format.

ASA DIRECTORATE RULING

At a meeting held on 5 April 2005 the Directorate considered the relevant documentation submitted by the respective parties.

The First Respondent submitted that it instructed the responsible advertising agency to withdraw the commercial immediately when the commercial was brought to its attention. The Second Respondent confirmed that the advertisement would not be used again in future in its current format.

The Directorate accepts the above submissions as an undertaking to withdraw the commercial.

The undertaking is accepted on condition that the commercial:

* Is withdrawn in its current format with immediate effect within the deadlines stipulated by Clause 15.3 of the Procedural Guide; and

* Is not used again in future.

The complainant has submitted that the respondent should be forced to issue a compensatory commercial, stressing that it does not wish to be seen to be marketing to children.

The Directorate is of the opinion that the advertisement in question does not warrant the imposition of sanctions as it appears ex facie that the respondent did not deliberately circumvent and/or flagrantly disregard the Code. In addition, the commercial was immediately withdrawn.

http://www.asasa.org.za/ResultDetail.aspx?Ruling=2265

http://www.sauvonsleon.fr/images/Cage_de_Faraday.png

45 000 sites de Stations de bases de Téléphonie Mobile en France environ 150 000 Antennes Relais.

Infos next-up organisation
http://www.next-up.org

The article below suggests progress - of sorts - toward the recognition of a health problem.

Best, Imelda, Cork


THE IRISH TIMES, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2005

Plans for review of phone masts

Martin Wall

The Government is to consider plans for a new committee to examine the safety implications of electromagnetic fields generated by sources such as mobile-phone masts and power lines.

Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey is to bring proposals to Cabinet this week for the establishment of a new inter-departmental group that will look at the effects on health of electromagnetic fields.

The move follows a report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources in June which recommended stronger links between Government departments in this area and the establishment of a new independent board to review, from an Irish perspective, all published data.

The current official position of the Department of Health is that "the consensus of scientific literature to date regarding possible adverse health effects from exposure to electromagnetic fields from facilities such as power lines, mobile phones and their base stations is that there is no evidence of a causal relationship between such exposure and ill health".

However, in his preface to the report last June, the chairman of the Oireachtas committee, Noel O'Flynn, said that there were people who suffered ill effects from using mobile phone handsets or because they lived beside a mast.

He said the members of the Oireachtas committee had "ample experience of meeting with and talking to those who were suffering".

Mr O'Flynn said last night he welcomed the Minister's plans to bring proposals to Cabinet.

He said he believed the committee's report had been received very favourably by the department. He was happy the committee had brought "added value" to the process.

Mr O'Flynn said from presentations made to the committee over recent months there appeared to be no co-ordination between the various Government departments - health, communications and environment - that have responsibilities in this area.

He said the committee also believed it was important the country should not have to rely on an international assessment of scientific literature in this area, and there should be an independent board that would carry out this task from an Irish perspective.

The committee, in its report in June, also called for the establishment of a standing advisory committee to scrutinise and agree standards for the mobile telephony industry.


© The Irish Times

September 14, 2005, Standards and Rules Database

http://www.microwavenews.com/fromthefield.html


Informant: Iris Atzmon

Infos ASL

ASL vient d’apprendre par le Dauphiné Libéré du 15 Septembre 2005 que le site internet de la Mairie de CREST avait été piraté en juin 2005, qu’une enquête de ?. . . La brigade des recherches de Valence qui dispose d’un spécialiste en nouvelles technologie? Avait? Après plusieurs réquisitions et investigations? abouti à l’interpellation du ? hacker?

http://www.sauvonsleon.fr/di/16092005/dl_15_09_2005.JPG


ASL rappelle que le 13 décembre 2004
http://www.sauvonsleon.fr/di/16092005/doc_di_315092005.htm , son tout premier site internet avait lui aussi été piraté, plainte avait été déposée
http://www.sauvonsleon.fr/di/16092005/di_15092005.htm , les matériels, ordinateur, disque dur, clef USB a été saisie pour l’enquête effectuée par la même brigade spécialisée de recherche de Valence.

Sans être profileur, en fonction des divers paramètres de l’intrusion ASL a bien sûr son idée.

Les investigations ainsi qu’une réquisition ou requête ont été effectuées pour faire progresser l’enquête.

Depuis plusieurs mois le compte rendu provisoire de l’enquête est comme on dit "bouclé".

L’Avocat d’ASL est intervenu sans succès à ce jour auprès de Monsieur le Procureur de la République de Valence afin que soit fait un point sur l’état de l’enquête et que celui-ci soit rendu public.

Les légitimes questions que se pose ASL :

Quels sont les résultats provisoires des investigations et de la réquisition effectuée en un lieu précis par les Gendarmes spécialisés?

Quelles sont leurs constatations en ce lieu précis?

Ces réponses sont-elles très embarrassantes pour l’image de certains?

Ces réponses posent-elles problèmes, au point de ne pas les rendre publique? . . .

Notre République peut-elle tolérer deux poids et deux mesures?

ASL Infos

CREST: Avancées significatives et positives dans la méthodologie des mesures de contrôles des Champs ÉlectroMagnétiques des antennes relais des stations de bases de Téléphonie Mobile.

http://www.sauvonsleon.fr/main.php?param=dernieresinfos&date_news=2005-09-14