UK probes 34 porn sites under new age-check rules

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's media regulator on Thursday launched investigations into the compliance of four companies, which collectively run 34 pornography sites, following the country's new age-check requirement rules coming into force.

Ofcom said it was formally probing whether the companies - 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment S.A. and Trendio Ltd - had "highly effective" age verification checks in place to protect children from encountering pornography across the websites.

These companies have been prioritised based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operate and their user numbers, the watchdog added.

Britain's Online Safety Act, passed in 2023 by the previous Conservative government, sets tougher standards for platforms to tackle criminal activity, with an emphasis on child protection and illegal content.

The legislation requires pornography sites and other platforms hosting harmful content to implement robust age verification systems to prevent children from accessing them.

Ofcom has the power to fine a firm up to 18 million pounds ($23.84 million) or 10% of its qualifying worldwide revenue, or block non-compliant sites.

The Labour government has said the law is a vital tool to protect children online, saying it strikes the right balance between safety and freedom of expression.

Populist Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, has vowed to repeal the act, calling it a "massive overreach" that threatens free speech.

In response, technology secretary Peter Kyle accused Farage of siding with "people like Jimmy Savile" - one of the UK's most prolific sexual predators - by opposing measures designed to protect children.

($1 = 0.7551 pounds)

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti and Muvija M;Editing by Catarina Demony)