New edition of the Global SRO Database now available

The International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS) is proud to release the fifth edition of its Global SRO Database and Factbook. 

Since 2017, ICAS has been collecting basic facts and figures on existing self-regulatory systems. By bringing more transparency on how SROs operate in the different markets represented in its network, ICAS hopes to contribute to a better understanding of advertising self-regulation by the industry, regulators, and the general public.

What information is included?

• information about the governance of SROs and their funding model;
• links to the main advertising standards currently in force at national level;
• information about the complaints-handling process;
• basic statistics on SRO services such as pre-clearance, copy advice and complaints-handling based on SROs’ data from the calendar year 2021.

This new edition also showcases how SROs have transformed the way they regulate ads by investing in machine learning and artificial intelligence to grow their impact and operate at scale.

The data collected by ICAS for this fifth edition covers 25 markets in Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, including the largest and oldest SROs.

These facts and figures can be consulted in two forms:

The Global SRO Database is an online tool based on a common methodology which aims to provide transparency on the way SROs operate. The data it contains is standardized as much as possible to allow for a high level comparison between different markets around the world.

The Global SRO Factbook is a companion to the online Database. It provides an aggregate overview of the data contained in the Global SRO Database, as well as useful background explanations highlighting some local specificities while putting them in a broader international context.