Ofcom Imposes Record £1.35 Million Fine on Porn Company 8579 LLC for Failing to Implement Effective Age Verification

Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, has imposed its largest fine to date under the Online Safety Act (OSA) on 8579 LLC, a pornography company, penalizing it £1.35 million for not implementing highly effective age verification measures on its websites. The breaches occurred on most of the company’s sites from July 25, 2025, when the age check rules came into force, until at least November 19, 2025. These measures are required to ensure UK visitors are over 18 and to protect children from accessing adult content. Additionally, the company received a £50,000 fine for failing to respond to Ofcom’s information requests. Ofcom emphasized that adult sites must use robust age checks to safeguard minors, and non-compliance or ignoring regulator requests will result in penalties. The firm must now apply proper age verification to its remaining non-compliant site by 17:00 GMT on Monday, or face a £1,000 daily fine. It is also required to submit a full list of operated sites, with a potential £250 daily penalty for non-compliance. This action follows Ofcom’s ongoing enforcement against multiple porn sites, including a prior £1 million fine on AVS Group Ltd in December 2025. The Online Safety Act imposes duties on platforms to prevent children from encountering harmful content like pornography, suicide-related material, self-harm, and eating disorders. Some companies, like Pornhub’s parent Aylo, have restricted UK access in response to the regulations, arguing they drive users to unregulated areas without effectively protecting minors.