Ofcom has imposed a financial penalty of £1,500 on the operator of an on demand programme service, provided through the website ‘HardGlam’, which gave access to 14 separate websites.

Between February and November, users of HardGlam services could access sexually explicit R18 equivalent material, without a system in place that would restrict under 18s from accessing it. The Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD) – which is responsible for regulating the editorial content of certain on demand programmes services, like HardGlam, concurrently with Ofcom – originally found the website in breach of its rules in April 2014

Ofcom confirmed breaches of rules had occurred, and, in a statement said it “also considered evidence as to the gravity and duration of the breaches and their potential impact on minors. Ofcom decided that the breaches were sufficiently serious, repeated and reckless to justify the imposition of a financial penalty.” The financial penalty is payable to HM Paymaster General.

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