UK Regulator Ofcom Probes Pornhub Over Age Verification and Child Protection
Ofcom's Investigation into Pornhub's Age Verification Measures
Background and Legal Requirements
LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Britain's media regulator Ofcom said on Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into whether adult content platform Pornhub has complied with its legal duties to prevent children from seeing pornography.
Under Britain's Online Safety Act, platforms are required to put in place age checks to prevent under-18s accessing pornographic content.
Pornhub's Age Verification Approach
Aylo, the service provider of Pornhub, said in May that Pornhub would rely on iPhone maker Apple's age-verification process to verify that users are over 18.
Concerns Raised by Ofcom
Ofcom said it was "concerned that Aylo may not have conducted sufficient due diligence and testing before implementing its new age assurance process".
Aylo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Our investigation will not make a determination on how Apple operates its age checks," Ofcom said in a statement.
Potential Consequences and Previous Actions
Ofcom has the power to fine a business up to £18 million ($23.93 million) or 10% of its qualifying worldwide revenue, or block non-compliant sites. It has already levied fines on adult content platforms totalling more than £1 million over age check failures.
($1 = 0.7521 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam TobinEditing by William Schomberg)
