UK media regulator investigates Pornhub over age checks

LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - ‌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.

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 £18 million ($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.

($1 = 0.7521 pounds)

(Reporting by Sam TobinEditing by William Schomberg and William ‌James)

---

Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

---

You May Also Be Interested In

• Oil rebounds after Trump rejects Iran peace deal
• Russia says it struck military infrastructure, vessels in Ukraine
• UK police arrest 5 by air base under terrorism act