Ofcom investigates Pornhub over Apple-backed age checks
Do the checks really check out?
Pornhub. Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
- Ofcom is investigating whether Pornhub met UK duties to stop children viewing pornography.
- Pornhub’s provider Aylo used Apple’s age-verification process to confirm users are over 18.
- Ofcom says Aylo may not have tested the new age checks enough before launch.
- Non-compliant platforms can face major fines or UK blocks under the Online Safety Act.
Britain's media regulator Ofcom said on Wednesday it had opened an investigation into whether adult content platform Pornhub has complied with its legal duties to prevent children from seeing pornography.
Under Britain's Online Safety Act, platforms are required to put in place age checks to prevent under-18s accessing pornographic content.
Aylo, the service provider of Pornhub, said in May that Pornhub would rely on iPhone maker Apple's age-verification process to verify that users are over 18.
Ofcom said it was "concerned that Aylo may not have conducted sufficient due diligence and testing before implementing its new age assurance process".
"Our investigation will not make a determination on how Apple operates its age checks," Ofcom said in a statement.
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Alex Kekesi, Aylo's vice president brand and community, said in a statement that Aylo would fully cooperate with Ofcom and that the investigation would show Apple's "device-level age-verification update ... offers one of the strongest and hardest to circumvent protections currently available".
Ofcom has the power to fine a business up to $23.93 million or 10% of its qualifying worldwide revenue, or block non-compliant sites. It has already levied fines on adult content platforms totalling more than £1 million over age check failures.