Summary
Reddit has been fined about £14 million by the UK's Information Commissioner's Office for not properly checking if its users are old enough. The fine is due to concerns that children could access harmful content because their ages weren't verified well on Reddit.
Key Facts
- The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) fined Reddit £14.47 million.
- The fine was issued because Reddit failed to check the age of its users properly.
- This failure meant that children could access inappropriate or harmful content on the site.
- Reddit claims it values user privacy by not asking for personal information, including age.
- As of July 2025, Reddit began verifying user ages to follow the Online Safety Act requirements.
- The ICO criticized Reddit's age-checking method as too easy to bypass.
- Reddit plans to appeal the ICO's decision, arguing the demand for more user data goes against its privacy beliefs.
