Summary
A company called Itai Tech Ltd, which ran a site using artificial intelligence (AI) to alter photos, was fined £55,000 for not verifying users’ ages as required by online safety laws. The UK regulator Ofcom also found the company unresponsive to requests for information and took action because their site could be harmful to children. This is the second fine under the new online safety law that demands age verification for adult content websites.
Key Facts
- Itai Tech Ltd operated a site that used AI to remove clothes from images, a process called "nudification."
- The site was fined £50,000 by Ofcom for failing to verify users’ age, plus £5,000 for not responding to information requests.
- UK access to the Itai Tech website was blocked soon after the investigation began.
- The fine was issued as part of enforcing the Online Safety Act, which requires age verification for adult content sites.
- This was Ofcom's second fine under the new online safety laws.
- The first fine was given to 4chan, an online message board, for not complying with requests for information.
- Ofcom can use legal means to recover fines if companies do not pay.
- Since late July, sites with age-restricted content must use strong age verification methods to protect children.
