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Call of Duty Black Ops 7 ad Banned for Trivialising Sexual Violence
The UK Advertising Standards Authority banned the ad after nine complaints, ruling it trivialized sexual violence by using humor based on non-consensual invasive searches.
- The UK's Advertising Standards Authority banned a Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 advert after complaints and ordered Activision Blizzard UK Ltd not to air it again in its current form today.
- The advert depicted an airport security screening where the man depicted was told he was 'randomly selected to be manhandled' and ordered to strip, with the ASA ruling that humour arose from humiliation and implied non-consensual penetration, trivialising sexual violence.
- Specific viewers complained that the campaign included explicit lines, nine complainants flagged it as irresponsible and offensive, and the spot ran on YouTube and video‑on‑demand services in November 2025.
- The publisher and clearance body said Activision Blizzard UK Ltd promoted an 18-rated game targeting adults, with Clearcast approving the ad under an 'ex-kids' timing restriction, and the ASA rejected the drug-use complaint.
- Historically, Call of Duty adverts have faced ASA scrutiny including a 2012 Modern Warfare 3 advert ban, and the ASA now warns Activision to avoid trivialising sexual violence amid Black Ops 7 sales context and franchise changes.
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17 Articles
17 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources17
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Left
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
56% Left
L 56%
C 33%
11%
Factuality
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