BBB National Programs


BBB National Programs, an independent non-profit organization that oversees more than a dozen national industry self-regulation programs that provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services to companies, including outside and in-house counsel, consumers, and others in arenas such as privacy, advertising, data collection, child-directed marketing, and more. The Center for Industry Self-Regulation is BBB National Programs' 501 non-profit foundation. CISR supports responsible business leaders in developing fair, future-proof best practices, and the education of the public on the conditions necessary for industry self-regulation.

Self-regulatory units

The self-regulatory system includes the following investigative, enforcement, and appellate units:
  • BBB AUTO LINE: a dispute resolution program that offers both mediation and arbitration to resolve business-to-consumer automotive warranty, lemon law, class action, and dealer manufacturer disputes.
  • National Advertising Division : provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy.
  • * BBB National Programs is a member of the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation, a global organization that promotes effective self-regulation of advertising around the world. Mary K. Engle, who previously served as the Associate Director of the Division of Advertising Practices at the Federal Trade Commission, currently serves as the U.S. representative of ICAS.
  • National Advertising Review Board : the appellate body for BBB National Programs’ advertising self-regulatory programs. NARB's panel members include 87 volunteer professionals from the national advertising industry, agencies, and public members, such as academics and former members of the public sector.
  • Children's Advertising Review Unit : a self-regulatory program and the nation's first Safe Harbor Program under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, that helps companies comply with laws and guidelines that protect children from deceptive or inappropriate advertising and ensure that, in an online environment, children's data is collected and handled responsibly.
  • * On April 19, 2022, the team behind CARU expanded into the teen space, launching the Teenage Privacy Program roadmap, which urges companies to tell teens ages 13 to 17 what kind of personal information is collected or inferred about them and what privacy controls are available to them. It also calls on companies to consider measures such as defaulting to more privacy-protective settings for teens and putting guardrails around messaging or sharing content with teens.
  • BBB EU Privacy Shield: an independent recourse mechanism for the U.S. Department of Commerce Privacy Shield program. This independent, third-party dispute resolution program enables U.S. businesses to demonstrate that their trans-Atlantic data transfers are consistent with European data protection rules and is a recognized Independent Recourse Mechanism under Privacy Shield.
  • Global Privacy Program: The Global Privacy Program manages both the BBB EU Privacy Shield program and APEC certification programs. In January 2021, BBB National Programs became the first U.S.-based nonprofit accountability agent in the APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules and Privacy Recognition for Processors systems. Through this program, the organization works one on one with companies of all sizes doing business in the 21 economies to demonstrate compliance with the CBPR and PRP program requirements.
  • Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative : a self-regulation pledge program created to improve the landscape of food advertising to children. CFBAI works with leading food, beverage, and quick service restaurant companies to set and implement Uniform Nutrition Standards, which specify the science-based nutritional criteria for foods and beverages that can be advertised to children under age 13.
  • Children's Confection Advertising Initiative : modeled after CFBAI, is a self-regulation program for small- and medium-sized confectionery companies created in partnership with the National Confectioners Association to help improve the landscape of food advertising to children. CCAI companies commit to not advertising confections to children under age 13. The most recent company to join was Hostess in April 2022.
  • Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council : provides independent, impartial monitoring, dispute resolution, and enforcement of false product claims and income representations made by direct selling companies and their salesforce members across digital platforms.
  • Digital Advertising Accountability Program : developed by the Digital Advertising Alliance to enforce industry self-regulation principles for data privacy in online and mobile advertising, holding companies accountable to the DAA's Privacy Principles. DAAP provides guidance to companies looking to comply with industry principles and responds to complaints filed by consumers about online privacy.
  • Coalition for Better Advertising Dispute Resolution Program: an independent dispute resolution program for participants of the Better Ads Experience Program. The program helps enforce the Better Ads Standards, which identify optimal online advertising formats to create a better experience for consumers.
  • Dispute Resolution Program for Verizon Wireless Customers: supports Verizon Wireless customers who need arbitration services for a dispute with Verizon Wireless of $10,000 or less. Before a customer can request arbitration, they must provide Verizon Wireless with written notice at least 30 days before arbitration is requested.
Parties may appeal decisions reached by NAD and CARU to NARB, the appellate body. Decisions reached by the self-regulatory system's investigative and appellate units are publicly reported through a press release. In addition, the decisions reported by NAD and CARU also are compiled 10 times each year into the “NAD/CARU Case Reports.” As of 2010, more than 5,000 self-regulatory decisions are included in the NARC Online Archive. The case reports and archive are not public, however; access to the archive is $6900.00 a year, even though procedures state that final case decisions are public.

National Advertising Division

The National Advertising Division, established in 1971, is charged with monitoring and evaluating truth and accuracy in national advertising. The NAD examines and evaluates a wide range of advertising claims, including puffery, consumer surveys, product testing and product demonstrations, taste tests, pricing claims and disclosures. Through its unique window on the marketplace, NAD identifies hot issues in advertising and promotion. NAD's decisions assist advertisers in anticipating and responding to the challenges that new products and new media can pose.
Since its inception, NAD has examined advertising claims for a wide range of products, including:
  • Products promoted as "green" or environmentally beneficial
  • Infant nutrition products
  • Over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements
  • Consumer electronics
  • Broadband technology
  • Functional foods and beverages
  • Cosmetics
  • Building supplies and home repair and renovation products
  • Energy services
In cooperation with the Council for Responsible Nutrition, NAD expanded its review of advertising for dietary supplements, a nearly $25 billion industry that is frequently criticized for misleading advertising. The program closed more than 360 cases concerning claims made in dietary supplement advertising. The program ended on July 1, 2020. The NAD opens hundreds of cases each year and more than 95 percent of the advertisers that appear before NAD voluntarily comply with NAD's decisions.
NAD cases often originate through a challenge filed by one advertiser against the advertising claims made by a competing advertiser.
In addition, NAD monitors national advertising and investigates complaints filed by consumers and advocacy groups or referred by local Better Business Bureaus. The course of NAD review proceedings is detailed in The Advertising Industry's Process of Self-Regulation, Policies and Procedures by the National Advertising Review Council. The Procedures describe and explain the filing deadlines and requirements for submissions from challengers and advertisers. NAD examines advertising to determine whether the evidence provided by the advertiser fully supports the advertising claims at issue in an NAD review.
The NAD can be expected to make one of three determinations for every claim at issue.
  • First, the NAD may find that the evidence provided by the advertiser fully supports or substantiates the claim under review.
  • Second, the NAD may determine that the substantiation is not sufficient to support the advertising claims and recommend the claims be modified in current and future advertising to better reflect the evidence in the record.
  • Third, the NAD may conclude that the evidence is wholly insufficient to support the claims. In that circumstance, the NAD will recommend that the advertising claims be discontinued.
Should an advertiser refuse to participate, NAD will to refer the advertiser to the appropriate regulatory agency.
NAD's findings are detailed in the final decision and outlined in a press release. In addition, NAD regularly monitors closed cases to ensure that advertisers comply with NAD decisions. If the NAD determines the advertiser made a reasonable attempt to comply, but there are still concerns outstanding, the NAD will work with the advertiser to address those concerns. Should the NAD determine that no effort was made to comply, or that the advertisers is unwilling to make further modifications NAD deems necessary, the Procedures allow the NAD to refer the advertiser to the appropriate regulatory agency.
NAD cases are closely watched by national advertisers and by the advertising industry.