Ofcom fines adult website operator £1m for insufficient age verification

Ofcom has imposed a £1 million fine on AVS Group Ltd, which manages 18 adult websites, for failing to implement sufficiently robust age verification measures. This is the largest penalty the regulator has issued under the Online Safety Act, which legally requires sites hosting pornographic material to establish highly effective mechanisms to prevent children from accessing explicit content. In addition to the fine, AVS Group faces a £50,000 penalty for not responding to information requests and must comply with age assurance requirements within 72 hours or incur an additional daily penalty of £1,000. Ofcom’s director of online safety, Oliver Griffiths, stated that the fine signals progress in online safety enforcement, emphasizing the need for tech companies to prioritize user protection over profits. The Online Safety Act, currently being implemented in phases, aims to hold online platforms accountable for user safety. Other enforcement actions are underway, including monitoring a major unnamed social media platform for compliance. Critics note that age verification measures can be bypassed using VPNs. Since the introduction of these measures in July, Pornhub’s UK traffic has reportedly dropped by 77%. Ofcom has also issued fines to companies failing to implement age checks and introduced new guidelines to protect women and girls online. The Act continues to face calls for stronger enforcement to ensure a safer internet.