Home / Technology / Porn Site Fined £1M for Weak Age Checks
Porn Site Fined £1M for Weak Age Checks
4 Dec
Summary
- AVS Group fined £1 million for ineffective age verification measures.
- Company must improve age checks within 72 hours or face daily penalties.
- Ofcom investigates 92 online services under the new Online Safety Act.
AVS Group Ltd has incurred a £1 million fine from Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, due to inadequate age verification measures on its 18 adult websites. The company also faces an additional £50,000 penalty for not cooperating with information requests.
Ofcom has given AVS Group a strict 72-hour deadline to implement age checks deemed effective by the regulator. Failure to comply will result in a daily penalty of £1,000, in addition to an ongoing £300 daily charge for non-compliance with information requests. This enforcement action falls under the recently enacted Online Safety Act.
Since the Online Safety Act's introduction in July, Ofcom has initiated investigations into 92 online services, prioritizing those with significant UK traffic and potential harm. The Act mandates platforms to protect users, particularly children, from illegal and harmful content. More than half of the top UK adult services and major social media platforms have now introduced age checks.
