Porn site company fined £630,000 over failed age checks

Ofcom has fined the operator of the pornography site Fapello £630,000 for failing to implement age verification checks for UK users. The regulator stated that the company had not introduced any checks and also failed to respond to requests for information, leading to a £600,000 penalty for the age check failure and an additional £30,000 fine for non-compliance. George Lusty, Ofcom's director of enforcement, emphasized that age checks are a legal requirement for porn sites in the UK, designed to protect children from inappropriate content. This fine is part of a series of enforcement actions by Ofcom, including a £600,000 fine against YoungTek Solutions in May and a £1.35m fine against another adult site operator. However, the regulator has faced scrutiny over the effectiveness of its enforcement, with reports that one fined company had never been contacted by Ofcom. The Fapello site has since blocked UK visitors, but Ofcom says it will continue to monitor compliance. The regulator has outlined acceptable age verification methods, including credit card checks, photo ID matching, and age estimation from selfies.