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ASA logo

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

  • ASA
  • CAP
  • BCAP
The ASA write and enforce advertising rules across most of UK media (including websites as of 1st March 2011)
  • ASA, Advertising Standards Authority, administer the group, deal with complaints from members of the public and enforce the advertising rules
  • CAP, Committee of Advertising Practice,  write and advise about the non-broadcast advertising rules
  • BCAP, Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice,  write and advise about the broadcast advertising rules

Latest news: see ASA Watch

ASA

Advertising Standards Authority
Mid City Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6QT

Tel: 020 7492 2222
E-mail: enquiries@asa.org.uk

www.asa.org.uk

CAP/BCAP

Tel: 020 7492 2100 for advertising advice
Email: advice@cap.org.uk

www.bcap.org.uk

ATVOD logo 2011

Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD)

ATVOD is the Internet TV censor. Internet TV is defined loosely by the EU as TV like services on the internet.

Ofcom is the ultimate Internet TV censor but the task has been delegated to ATVOD

ATVOD changed name from Association for Video on Demand to Authority for Television on Demand in March 2011.

Latest news: see ATVOD Watch

ATVOD
PO Box 561
Walton on Thames
KT12 9DA

Email: atvod@atvod.co.uk

www.atvod.co.uk

BBFC logo

British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)

Film Censor with the remit:
  • cinema film
  • video/DVD/Blu-ray
  • Online film (a voluntary scheme)
  • Computer games, role due to end in Autumn 2011

The BBFC is an independent company tasked with UK film, video and games censorship. It is funded through classification fees.

For cinema the BBFC historically represented the interests of the film industry to ensure that film makers avoided legal issues from obscenity law etc. BBFC cinema ratings are advisory and the ultimate censorship responsibility lies with local authorities. In the vast majority of cases BBFC advice is accepted by councils. But advice has often been overruled to ban BBFC certificated films or to allow BBFC banned films.

For home video, DVD, Blu-ray and some video games, the BBFC acts as a government designated censor. BBFC decisions are enforced by law via the Video Recordings Act of 2010.

For online films the BBFC offers a voluntary scheme of reusing BBFC vide certificates for online works. The BBFC will also rate online  exclusive material if requested. Note that the Video Recordings Act does not apply online and content is only governed by the law of the land, particularly the Obscene Publications Act and Dangerous Pictures Act.

The BBFC is due to relinquish responsibility for video games in late 2011. The Video Standards Council will take over the role and ratings will be provided using Europe wide PEGI ratings and symbols.

BBFC Ratings:

  • U: Universal: Suitable for all
     
  • PG: Parental Guidance: General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children
     
  • 12A: Suitable for 12 years and over. No-one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. [cinema only]
     
  • 12: Suitable for 12 years and over. No-one younger than 12 may rent or buy a ‘12’ rated video or DVD. Responsibility for allowing under-12s to view lies with the accompanying or supervising adult.. [home media only]
     
  • 15: No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video or DVD.
     
  • 18: No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.
     
  • R18: To be supplied only in licensed sex shops to persons of not less than 18 years. Hardcore pornography is allowed in this category
     
  • Rejected. The BBFC has the power to ban the sale of home media. A rejected cinema film may be shown with permission of the local authority.

Not that rejected home media is banned from sale. It is not generally illegal to possess. However criminal law makes it illegal to possess child & extreme porn.

BBFC
3 Soho Square,
London,
W1V 6HD

Tel: 020 7440 1570
Email: contact_the_bbfc@bbfc.co.uk

www.bbfc.co.uk
Parent's BBFC
Student's BBFC
Children's BBFC

Melon Farmers Pages:
BBFC News
BBFC Guidelines
Latest UK Cuts
Recent Bans: BBFC
Videos Bans: BBFC
Cinema Bans: BBFC

BBFC Directors:

  • John Trevelyan 1958-1971
  • Stephen Murphy 1971-1975
  • James Ferman 1975-1999
  • Robin Duval 1999-2004
  • David Cooke 2004-present

BBC logo

BBC Radio and Television

UK state broadcaster BBC
Wood Lane
London
W12 7RJ

www.bbc.co.uk

Complaints:

BBC Complaints
PO Box 1922
Darlington
DL3 0UR

Tel: 03700 100 222
Online: www.bbc.co.uk

BBC Trust

BBC Trust

BBC's self regulatory body

Latest news: see BBC Trust Watch

BBC Trust Unit
180 Great Portland Street
London
W1W 5QZ

Email: trust.enquiries@bbc.co.uk

channel 4 logo

Channel 4

Channel 4

Commercial TV broadcaster

Channel 4 Enquiries
PO Box 1058
Belfast BT1 9DU

Tel: 0845 076 0191 Viewer enquiries

www.channel4.com

Channel 5 logo

Channel 5

Channel 5

Commercial TV broadcaster

Customer Services
Five Television
22 Long Acre
London
WC2E 9LY

Tel: 08457 050505
Tel: 020 7421 7270

Email: customerservices@five.tv

www.five.tv

Clearcast logo

Clearcast

Clearcast are not official regulators. They are a group funded by broadcasters. Clearcast maintain expertise about ASA/TV advertising rules for the benefit of broadcasters and advertisers.

Broadcast advertisers submit adverts to Clearcast for approval. Clearcast also assign child protection restrictions.

Clearcast decisions can be, and often are, challenged by the ultimate advertising censors of the ASA

Note: Public complaints about broadcast advertising should be addressed to the ASA

Clearcast
4 Roger Street
2nd & 3rd Floor
London
WC1N 2JX

Tel: 020 7339 4700
Email: enquiries@clearcast.co.uk

www.clearcast.co.uk

Crown Prosecution Service

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)

The CPS define many of the archaic BBFC guidelines used for censoring R18 hardcore.

In general the CPS maintain the current interpretation of vague laws used to decide when prosecutions will take place.

The Crown Prosecution Service
Rose Court
2 Southwark Bridge
London
SE1 9HS

Tel: 020 3357 0000

www.cps.gov.uk

DCMS logo

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

Government department responsible for broadcasting.

Often the final responsibility for censorship reverts to the Home Office, especially when the censorial line is defined by legality.

See latest news: Government Censorship

Department for Culture Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street
London
SW1Y 5DH

Email: enquiries@culture.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7211 6000 for general enquiries

www.culture.gov.uk

Home Offie logo

Home Office

Government department responsible for most law and order issues that underpin UK censorship

See latest news: Government Censorship

Direct Communications Unit (public enquiries)
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7035 4848 for public enquiries

www.homeoffice.gov.uk

IWF logo

Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)

An organisation established and funded by the internet industry mainly targeted at removing or blocking child abuse material

The IWF coordinates take downs of illegal material reported or found on UK hosted websites.

It maintains a list of blocked websites of foreign hosted material for UK ISPs to implement

Thankfully the IWF is keeping its focus on its role to remove child abuse images. It does also have a remit to take down other UK hosted material:

- adult material if it is found to be 'criminally obscene'
- incitement to racial hatred
- non-photographic child porn images

The Internet Watch Foundation
East View
5 Coles Lane
Oakington
Cambridge
CB24 3BA

Tel: +44 (0) 1223 237 700
Email: information@iwf.org.uk

www.iwf.org.uk

Melon Farmers pages:
IWF Watch

ITV logo

ITV

Independent Television

Commercial TV network

The ITV Network is made up of 15 regional licences. 11 of the licences in England and Wales are owned by ITV Plc, formed in 2004 following the merger of Carlton and Granada. SMG owns the two Scottish licences, Scottish Television and Grampian; UTV and Channel Television own the licences for Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands respectively.

Viewer Services
ITV Plc
Gas Street
Birmingham
B1 2JT

Tel: 0844 88 14150
Email: viewerservices@itv.com

www.itv.com

Ministry of Justice logo

Ministry of Justice

UK Government responsible for the law court service and hence the ultimate British censors

See latest news: Government Censorship

Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
United Kingdom

Email: general.queries@justice.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 3334 3555 for general enquiries

www.justice.gov.uk

Ofcom logo

Ofcom

The Office of Communications.

A regulator with multiple roles. Roles of Interest to Melon Farmers are:

  • TV censors for nearly all radio/TV/cable/satellite except for the BBC
  • Internet censors for Video on Demand. This task has been delegated to ATVOD  but Ofcom retain teh absiolute authority
  • Internet censors for copyright/file sharing issues
  • Advert Censors for the limited role of TV channels which exist mainly to advertise premium rate telephone services (such as babe channels)

See latest news: Ofcom Watch
See also File sharing at Ofcom

Ofcom
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 9HA

Tel: 0300 123 3333 public complaints
Tel: 020 7981 3000 public complaints

Tel: 0300 123 3000 general switchboard
Tel: 020 7981 3000 general switchboard

www.ofcom.org.uk

Parent Port Logo

ParentPort

ParentPort is a website run jointly by the UK's media censors.

It is a central reporting point for parents to complain about anything they see on the media. Complaints to ParentPort will then be forwarded to the appropriate censor.

www.parentport.org.uk
phonepayplus logo

PhonepayPlus

PhonepayPlus (previously known as ICSTIS) regulates phone-paid services in the UK. These are the premium rate goods and services that you can buy by charging the cost to your phone bill and pre-pay account. Phoneplayplus
Clove Building
4 Maguire Street
London SE1 2NQ

Tel: 020 7940 7474 General enquiries

www.PhonepayPlus.org.uk

PCC logo

Press Complaints Commission (PCC)

The PCC is an independent self-regulatory body which deals with complaints about the editorial content of newspapers and magazines (and their websites).

The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines. It has no legal powers.

Chairman of the Commission:

  • 2009 - present: Baroness Buscombe
  • 2002-2009: Sir Christopher Meyer

See latest news: PCC Watch

Press Complaints Commission
Halton House
20/23 Holborn
London EC1N 2JD

Tel: 020 7831 002
Email: complaints@pcc.org.uk

www.pcc.org.uk

racc logo

Radio Advertising Clearance Centre

Radio Advertising Clearance Centre.

The RACC is not an official censor. It is funded by commercial radio stations to maintain expertise and provide advice about the current radio advertising rules.

Radio advertisers then pay copy clearance fees to the RACC.

Commercial radio stations have to ensure advertising compliance.

They must follow the rules of The BCAP UK Code of Broadcast Advertising.

Note: Public complaints about radio advertising should be addressed to the ASA

RadioCentre Ltd
4th Floor
5 Golden Square
London W1F 9BS

Tel: 020 3206 7808
adclear@racc.co.uk

www.racc.co.uk

Sky TV

Sky (BSkyB)

Sky satellite TV broadcasters 6 Centaurs Business Park,
Grant Way
Isleworth
Middlesex
TW7 5QD

Tel: 08442 410 265 for programme comments

www.sky.com

true vision logo

True Vision (UK Police)

True Vision

A police website reporting and finding out about hate crimes.

www.report-it.org.uk

Email: enquiries@report-it.org.uk.

VSC logo

Video Standards Council (VSC)

The Video Standards Council are set to become the UK video game censors starting from autumn 2010. They will use pan-European PEGI ratings

See latest news: VSC & PEGI Watch

VSC
Kinetic Business Centre
Theobald Street
Borehamwood
WD6 4PJ

Tel: 0208 387 4020
Email: vsc@videostandards.org.uk

www.videostandards.org.uk