ATVOD rules against adult sites

UK video-on-demand regulator ATVOD has ruled that two services operating across 74 adult websites have breached rules requiring UK VoD providers to protect children from adult content.

ATVOD held Extreme Movie Pass and UK Sirens in breach of statutory rules requiring adult content to be blocked to children. The Extreme MoviePass service operated across 73 linked adult websites.

According to ATVOD, the services broke the rules by allowing visitors free, unrestricted access to hardcore pornographic video promos/trailers or still images and by providing full access to any visitor who paid a fee.

ATVOD has referred the operator of Extreme Movie Pass to Ofcom for consideration of a sanction after it failed to become fully compliant with the regulations under a timetable set by the VoD regulator.

“ATVOD will continue to discuss with policy makers further options for reducing the exposure of children to pornography and other potentially harmful VOD material on websites based both inside and outside the UK,”said ATVOD chairman Ruth Evans.

“We strongly support initiatives designed to improve the take up of parental control software and have worked with the Department for Culture Media and Sport on the drafting of legislation which will prohibit on UK based, TV-like VoD services any material which would not be classified for sale on a DVD.”