Ofcom has fined AVS Group Ltd, a company that runs pornography websites, £1 million for not complying with the age verification requirements of the Online Safety Act.
The Online Safety Act was introduced earlier this year and requires that websites hosting pornographic material and other restricted adult content implement robust age verification checks to prevent children from readily accessing their content.
While websites serving adult content could previously use simple checkboxes or buttons to ask the visitor to confirm they were over 18, the new rules imposed by the Online Safety Act require more robust checks.
Examples of age verification checks compliant with the Online Safety Act include facial age estimation, open banking checks, digital identity services, and credit card age checks.
Ofcom said that in the case of AVS had implemented what it saw as an age verification check, the regulator did not consider this to be highly effective and therefore found it to be in breach of the requirements of the Online Safety Act.
It has also launched an investigation into other services’ compliance with age check requirements and will take action where necessary. The websites investigated by Ofcom have millions of monthly UK visitors, and therefore it prioritised investigating these platforms based on the risk of harm they pose.
In addition to issuing a fine of £1 million to AVS, Ofcom has also levied an additional fine of £50,000 against the company for failing to respond to its requests for information.
The regulator said that it will impose a daily penalty on the company of £300 per day, starting from tomorrow, until it responds or until 60 days have passed.
Ofcom said that so far, it has opened investigations into 92 online services, fined three providers, and made some high-risk sites no longer available to UK IP addresses.
Parents believe rules are improving online safety
Alongside the announcement of the fine issued against AVS, Ofcom has also published initial research that shows public support from parents for the new measures it has implemented.
It said that 58% of parents believe the measures in Ofcom’s codes of practice are already improving the safety of UK children online. 67% said they believe the measures would make a difference in the future and 36% said they had noticed a potential impact on their child’s online activity.
Ofcom’s research found that 47% of children aged 8-17 encountered an age check online when trying to access age-restricted content after the July deadline compared to 30% before.
“The tide on online safety is beginning to turn for the better. This year has seen important changes for people, with new measures across many sites and apps now better protecting children from harmful content,” said Ofcom Online Safety Group Director Oliver Griffiths.
“But we need to see much more from tech companies next year and we’ll use our full powers if they fall short.”
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said that keeping children safe online is this government’s and her personal priority.
“Since the enforcement of the Online Safety Act, platforms have finally started taking responsibility for protecting children and removing illegal and hateful content,” Kendall said.
“Ofcom has the government’s full backing to use all its powers to ensure that services put users’ safety first.”
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