The UK’s internet regulator, Ofcom, is investigating four companies that run 34 pornographic websites over compliance with age check rules that came into effect last week under online safety legislation.
A provision of the UK’s Online Safety Act that came into effect on 25 July obliges platforms which carry pornographic content to use highly effective age assurance to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content.
On Thursday, Ofcom announced investigations into four companies – which run a total of 34 pornographic websites between them – in relation to these age check rules. The four companies are: 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment SA and Trendio Ltd.
The UK regulator said it is concerned the businesses are failing to comply with legal obligations “to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of highly effective age assurance,” per its announcement today.
Age checks are “not a silver bullet” as VPNs surge
At the same time, since the age check rules came into effect the UK has seen a surge in downloads of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) tools, which allow users to disguise their real location in order to access online content without such checks.
Proton, a Swiss-based privacy company that offers VPN software, reported a surge in usage of about 1,800%, per the Financial Times.
Asked about VPNs being used to circumvent age checks, an Ofcom spokesperson told Euractiv that the measure will still help prevent children from stumbling across adult material accidentally.
“Until now, kids could easily stumble across porn and other online content that’s harmful to them without even looking for it,” they said. “Age checks will help prevent that. We’re now assessing compliance to make sure platforms have them in place, and companies that fall short should expect to face enforcement action.”
The spokesperson added that Ofcom recognises age checks are “not a silver bullet”. “[S]ome determined teenagers may get round them,” they also told us, adding: “Ultimately, this needs to work alongside education, awareness campaigns and through supportive conversations with trusted adults.”
The UK law’s guidance also states that porn providers should not publish any content that encourages the use of VPNs to circumvent the checks.
Separately, back in May, the EU opened its own investigations into four adult content platforms – Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos – over similar age verification concerns under the bloc’s Digital Services Act.
However the EU and UK regulators appear to be probing different adult content providers under their respective online laws.
(nl)
