Summary
Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, fined a porn company £1 million for not having strong enough age checks as required by the Online Safety Act. The company, AVS Group Ltd, now has to put effective age checks in place quickly to avoid more fines. The Act aims to make the internet safer, especially for children, by demanding better online safety measures from websites that host adult content.
Key Facts
- Ofcom fined AVS Group Ltd £1 million for insufficient age checks on its 18 adult websites.
- The Online Safety Act requires "highly effective age assurance" to prevent children's access to explicit content.
- AVS Group Ltd also faces a £50,000 fine for not responding to Ofcom's information requests.
- The company has 72 hours to comply with the required age checks or pay £1,000 per day in additional fines.
- The Online Safety Act is being rolled out in phases to improve online safety.
- In October, Pornhub's parent company reported a 77% drop in UK visitors due to new age checks.
- Some platforms, such as message board 4Chan, have resisted complying with fines imposed under the Act.
