The UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, has confirmed that a porn company it fined £1 million for failing to meet legal age verification standards has begun implementing more robust age checks on some of its websites.
On 4 December, Ofcom fined AVS Group Ltd, which operates several adult websites, for not having age verification measures deemed effective under the UK’s Online Safety Act. Following the fine, AVS has reportedly introduced an “age assurance method” on certain platforms that is highly capable of determining whether a user is under 18.
Ofcom warned that AVS could still face additional penalties of £1,000 per day until the regulator is fully satisfied with the company’s compliance across all its websites. Earlier, the company was also fined £50,000 for failing to respond to Ofcom’s emails during the investigation, which began in July.
Attempts to contact TubeCorporate, the adult content publishing platform behind AVS Group Ltd, have gone unanswered. The company lists an address in Belize, which appears to be a registered office for multiple businesses but lacks a physical presence there.
The Online Safety Act legally requires pornographic websites to implement age verification systems that effectively prevent children from accessing explicit content. While tougher age checks were introduced in July, some users have bypassed restrictions using virtual private networks (VPNs), which redirect internet traffic through other countries.
