Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, has opened an investigation into Pornhub’s age-verification system amid concerns that the adult-content platform may not have done enough to prevent children from accessing pornography.
Ofcom said on Wednesday that it was investigating Aylo, the company that operates Pornhub, over whether the platform had complied with its obligations under Britain’s Online Safety Act.
The law requires online services that allow access to pornography to introduce effective age-assurance measures designed to prevent people under 18 from viewing adult content.
The investigation centres on a new age-verification system introduced by Pornhub, which relies on technology provided by Apple to determine whether users are adults.
Aylo announced in May that Pornhub would use Apple’s age-verification process as part of its efforts to comply with Britain’s online safety requirements.
However, Ofcom said it was concerned that Aylo may not have carried out sufficient due diligence and testing before deploying the system.
“Ofcom is concerned that Aylo may not have conducted sufficient due diligence and testing before implementing its new age assurance process,” the regulator said.
Ofcom stressed that its investigation is focused on Aylo’s compliance and will not determine whether Apple itself has operated its age-check technology properly.
The regulator is expected to examine how Aylo assessed the effectiveness of the system, including whether it provides adequate protection against children gaining access to pornographic material.
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Aylo said it would cooperate fully with the investigation and defended the technology used by Pornhub.
Alex Kekesi, Aylo’s vice-president for brand and community, said the company believed Apple’s device-level age-verification system provided strong protection against attempts to bypass age restrictions.
The investigation comes as Britain steps up enforcement of its Online Safety Act, which places greater responsibility on technology platforms and online services to protect children from harmful content.
Ofcom has already taken enforcement action against adult-content platforms over failures to implement adequate age checks.
The regulator has imposed fines totalling more than £1 million on adult-content platforms over age-verification failures, highlighting the financial consequences companies face if they fail to meet the new requirements.
Ofcom can impose a fine of up to £18 million or 10 per cent of a company’s qualifying worldwide revenue for serious breaches. In some circumstances, it can also seek measures to restrict access to non-compliant services.
The UK regulator has been particularly focused on ensuring that age checks are more effective than systems that simply rely on users entering their dates of birth.
Under the current rules, platforms are expected to use age-assurance methods capable of providing greater confidence that users attempting to access pornography are adults.
The Pornhub investigation is therefore consequential for the wider debate over how technology companies can verify a person’s age online while maintaining privacy and security.
Age verification systems can involve different approaches, including checks based on devices, identity information or other digital signals. Regulators have increasingly scrutinised whether such systems can be bypassed and whether they provide sufficient safeguards for children.
For Pornhub, the Ofcom investigation could determine whether its use of Apple’s technology meets the UK’s legal requirements.
The investigation does not mean that Ofcom has concluded that Aylo breached the law. The regulator will gather evidence before deciding whether any enforcement action is necessary.
If Ofcom finds serious non-compliance, Aylo could face a substantial financial penalty or other regulatory measures under the Online Safety Act.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
