Taiwan television entertainer Xu Xidi grins to show the whitening effect of the Crest toothpaste in the TV commercial. [Photo/baidu.com]

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

It is the celebrities' right to endorse a product, but they are not allowed to deceive customers with their popularity. Overly exaggeration and beautification of a cosmetic product's effect are not rare in China, yet those behind such advertisements can always find legal loopholes to avoid punishments. Hence, the law enforcers should act tougher and expose more similar cases.

Jin Dinghai, deputy director of the Humanities and Communications College, Shanghai Normal University, March 10

To contain the rampant spread of false advertisements online, paid promotion and so forth, their advertising nature has to be made clear and put under the advertisement law. In addition, special rules on Internet advertising should be stipulated and published in a bid to identify, manage, supervise, and punish all relevant parties of a law-breaking online advertisement.

Li Dongdong, head of the China Media Culture Promotion Association, March 7