A pornography company managing 18 adult websites has incurred a £1 million fine from the regulatory body Ofcom for inadequate age verification measures, marking the largest penalty issued thus far under the UK’s Online Safety Act.
The Belize-based AVS Group has also faced an additional fine of £50,000 for not adhering to information request protocols.
This incident represents the third time the communications regulator has enforced fines on a company regarding the UK’s Online Safety Act, which implemented stringent age verification rules in July.
AVS has implemented what it describes as an age verification system; however, regulatory assessments have deemed it to be ineffective.
The company finds itself facing a £1,000 penalty for each day Ofcom considers the circumstance valid within a 72-hour window of the age check being introduced. This leads to a cumulative fine of £300 daily until they comply with the information request or for as much as 60 days.
Since the implementation of the new regulations, Ofcom has initiated investigations into 92 online services, giving priority to sites attracting millions of monthly visitors, considering the potential harm these sites pose.
Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s group director for online safety, shared with BBC Radio 4’s Today program that the fines are part of a “broader shift” focused on platform accountability, which includes the “large scale” rollout of age verification on adult sites to combat child sexual abuse material.
Mr. Griffiths noted that more than 90 websites, inclusive of 83 adult sites, are still under scrutiny for possible infringements of the law, and further penalties are expected.
Ofcom also indicated that a significant social media platform, unnamed, could face formal repercussions should it fail to enhance its compliance measures. This platform has reportedly provided insufficient risk assessments needed to evaluate the potential appearance of illegal content, such as scams and unlawful pornography, to its users.
“We reached back out to inform them a re-evaluation was necessary,” Griffiths stated. “Should they fail to treat this matter with due seriousness again, we will promptly escalate to enforcement.”
Furthermore, Ofcom disclosed its review of major anonymous platforms’ capabilities to eliminate illegal terrorist and hate-driven content, including anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim material, with possible enforcement actions on the horizon.
The Online Safety Act brings forth several new regulations designed to shield children and adults from harmful content, with violations potentially costing up to £18 million or 10% of annual UK revenue, or even business closures.
More than half of the UK’s 100 most frequented adult services have instituted age verification since the rule changes in July, alongside social media sites like X, TikTok, and Reddit, according to the regulator. Mr. Griffiths acknowledged a rapid increase in the usage of virtual private networks (VPNs), which enable users to bypass regional restrictions on certain sites, noting that this number had peaked at between 600,000 to over 1 million users when the age verification was assessed but has since declined “significantly” below 1 million.
“There has been a slight uptick in VPN usage; however, several elements were not sold wholesale. Interesting research …indicates that children do not seem to constitute a large proportion,” he noted.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall stated: “Since the Online Safety Act was enacted, platforms are indeed beginning to accept responsibility for safeguarding children and eradicating illegal and hateful content.”
“Ofcom has the full backing of the Government and is leveraging every authority at its disposal to ensure a service prioritizing user safety. Ensuring the online safety of children remains a top priority for this Government and for me personally.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
