In 2009, the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) amended or removed 2,397 adverts because they were misleading. The development of computers and digital image editing software, such as Photoshop, has increased false advertising. However, authoritative organizations such as the ASA and the Committee on Advertising Practice (CAP) accept a limited amount of "airbrushing" in advertisements. This opens the debate on whether controlled airbrushing is ethical or not. Because advertising airbrushing constitutes a distortion of the image, it is misleading; given that it influences the reality of society, it is omnipresent; since it can harm consumer well-being, it is harmful: excessive or controlled airbrushing, by any means and for any purpose, is unethical. To begin, deceptive advertising is commercial speech “that may mislead consumers through ambiguity, presentation, or by omitting important information […] or including false information.” It is subject to federal regulation. Before 1895, fraudulent advertising was omnipresent. It was not until between 1893 and 1911 that "standards were being developed" due to recognition of the ethical dilemmas associated with false advertising: consumer deception and dishonesty. To continue, the development of new technologies, such as computers and image editing software, has increased and redefined the nature of false advertising. Programs such as Adobe Photoshop have made the digital manipulation of images possible. One of the functions of this software is "airbrushing", which in this context refers to the technique used to hide, eliminate or change the appearance of defects. Image editing software made it easier to "retouch photographs related to any characteristic directly relevant to the apparent...... middle of paper......es Promotion and direct marketing (CAP Code), CAP § 03 (2010). United Kingdom. Advertising Practices Committee. Advertising Practices Committee. Accessed November 11, 2013. http://www.cap.org.uk/Advertising-Codes/Non-broadcast-HTML/Section-3-Misleading-advertising.aspx.United Kingdom. Advertising Practices Committee. Advertising Practices Committee. Accessed November 18, 2013. http://www.cap.org.uk/Advice-Training-on-the-rules/Advice-Online-Database/Cosmetics-The-use-of-production-techniques.aspx.United Kingdom . Gotham. Advertising Standards Authority. ASA arbitration on L'Oréal (UK) Ltd - Advertising Standards Authority. July 27, 2011. Accessed November 18, 2013. http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2011/7/LOreal-(UK)-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_149632.aspx.Vigil, Tammy R., ed. . Introduction to the world of communication. 1st ed. Cognelle, 2013. 159.