Euro porn ops fined £125K for premium rate abuse
By Tim Richardson
Posted: 23/10/2002 at 11:29 GMT
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/27747.html
Two European porn operators have been thumped with fines totaling £125,000 for running ads featuring child pornography.
Spanish-based Greenock and German-based Premium Call GmbH were also slapped for using dialer software that automatically downloaded itself onto PCs without users' knowledge before charging them £1.50 a minute.
ICSTIS - the UK's premium rate services regulator - said this software appeared to be deliberately designed to mislead users into running up huge phone bills.
Taking action under recently implemented European ecommerce regulations, ICSTIS fined Greenock £75,000 and dished out a £50,000 slap to Premium Call GmbH.
It has also barred access to both services for two years and both operators have also been reported to the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit.
In a statement ICSTIS Chairman Sir Peter North said: "The sanctions imposed on Greenock and Premium Call GmbH reflect the serious consumer harm caused by their services and serve as a warning to others that we will not hesitate to take decisive action to protect UK consumers from such abuse."
Tough-acting ICTSIS recently fined a text messaging company £50,000 for sending misleading SMS spam. ®
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/27747.html