Porn site fined £800,000 for not rolling out age checks

Source: BBC Technology

Porn site fined £800,000 for not rolling out age checks

Ofcom has fined porn company Kick Online Entertainment SA £800,000 for failing to introduce “highly effective” age‑verification measures for UK visitors. The regulator said the company did not have adequate methods to ensure users were over 18 between 25 July and 29 December 2025.

Kick Online Entertainment has since introduced age checks, but it also faces:

• a £30,000 fine for not responding to Ofcom’s information requests, and
• a £200 daily penalty until it complies.

Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom can fine firms up to 10 % of their turnover or seek a court order to block a site in the UK.

Suzanne Cater, director of enforcement at Ofcom, stressed that “it is non‑negotiable for adult sites to have highly effective age checks in place to prevent children accessing porn.” She added that any company that fails to meet this duty can expect robust enforcement action, including significant fines.

Ofcom has launched investigations into many other porn sites lacking age checks and has already handed down decisions, including fines, see details. Cater said Ofcom will continue its investigations and take further action where necessary.

4chan refuses to pay

Ofcom gave 4chan ten working days to respond to a provisional notice alleging breaches of the UK’s Online Safety Law, including failures around age checks and risk assessments of illegal content.

Preston Byrne, the site’s lawyer, told BBC News that Ofcom is “proposing to impose a £520,000 fine,” with additional daily penalties if 4chan does not respond. He noted that Ofcom has not publicly confirmed the fine.

4chan previously refused to pay a £20,000 fine issued last year as part of a narrower compliance investigation.

Byrne argued that the site “has broken no law in the only jurisdiction that matters here – the United States,” and suggested that Ofcom should seek a US court order to avoid violating the First Amendment. He warned that continued enforcement attempts could fuel US law‑reform efforts.