Latest news with #AVSGroup
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ofcom launches investigation into new age checks on 34 pornography websites
The UK's internet watchdog has launched an investigation into how four companies - that collectively run 34 pornography sites - are complying with new age-check requirements. Last week, new rules came into force requiring sites that allow adult content to bring in measures to prove that someone using them is over the age of 18. But Ofcom has now opened formal investigations into whether some providers have put effective age checks in place. These companies - 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment S.A. and Trendio Ltd - run dozens of sites, and collectively have more than nine million unique monthly UK visitors, Ofcom said. Read more: What is the Online Safety Bill? The regulator said it prioritised the companies based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operated and their user numbers. It adds to the 11 investigations already in progress into 4chan, as well as an unnamed online suicide forum, seven file-sharing services, and two adult websites. Ofcom said it expects to make further enforcement announcements in the coming months. Read more: The regulator can impose fines of up to £18 million, or 10% of worldwide revenue (whichever is greater) if sites are found to have compliance failures. "Where appropriate, in the most serious cases, we can seek a court order for business disruption measures, such as requiring payment providers or advertisers to withdraw their services from a platform, or requiring internet service providers to block access to a site in the UK," Ofcom said. Five days since Ofcom's new internet regulations began being enforced, more than 450,000 people have signed a petition asking for them to be repealed. Adult content creators, meanwhile, have accused the government of censoring social media feeds. In response to the petition, the government said it had "no plans to repeal the Online Safety Act".
Reuters
31-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
UK probes 34 porn sites under new age-check rules
LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) - Britain's media regulator on Thursday launched investigations into the compliance of four companies, which collectively run 34 pornography sites, following the country's new age-check requirement rules coming into force. Ofcom said it was formally probing whether the companies - 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment S.A. and Trendio Ltd - had "highly effective" age verification checks in place to protect children from encountering pornography across the websites. These companies have been prioritised based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operate and their user numbers, the watchdog added. Britain's Online Safety Act, passed in 2023 by the previous Conservative government, sets tougher standards for platforms to tackle criminal activity, with an emphasis on child protection and illegal content. The legislation requires pornography sites and other platforms hosting harmful content to implement robust age verification systems to prevent children from accessing them. Ofcom has the power to fine a firm up to 18 million pounds ($23.84 million) or 10% of its qualifying worldwide revenue, or block non-compliant sites. The Labour government has said the law is a vital tool to protect children online, saying it strikes the right balance between safety and freedom of expression. Populist Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, has vowed to repeal the act, calling it a "massive overreach" that threatens free speech. In response, technology secretary Peter Kyle accused Farage of siding with "people like Jimmy Savile" - one of the UK's most prolific sexual predators - by opposing measures designed to protect children. ($1 = 0.7551 pounds)
BBC News
31-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
UK investigating 34 porn sites over age check rules
Ofcom is investigating four companies, operating a total of 34 porn sites, over whether they are complying with its new age check regulator said on Friday more than 6,000 sites allowing pornography and other adult content would start using "highly effective" tools to verify or estimate whether users were over or under the age of Ofcom says some sites may be ignoring its new rules - designed to stop children from stumbling across porn or other content deemed harmful by has opened formal investigations into 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment S.A. and Trendio Ltd, which it says have more than nine million monthly visitors combined. "These companies have been prioritised based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operate and their user numbers," Ofcom said in a press release on regulator is already investigating a range of platforms over similar previously opened probes into online message board 4chan and porn provider First Time Videos LLC in to that it launched formal investigations into an online suicide forum, file-sharing services and a company that runs a so-called "nudifying" site."We expect to make further enforcement announcements in the coming weeks and months," the regulator said. Age checks online Since age verification requirements took effect on Friday, people in the UK have been asked to confirm their age across a range of different platforms including social media platforms Reddit and confirmed to the BBC on Wednesday it would ask people in the UK, among other locations including Australia, to confirm their age if accessing music videos rated 18+ by sweeping rules have prompted a backlash from some who see the requirements as an overreach or potential privacy than 400,000 people have now signed a petition calling for the repeal of the Online Safety Act - the law requiring age checks to stop children encountering adult government said in response it has no plans to withdraw the have also criticised the effectiveness of Ofcom's implementation of UK age check requirements, and their potential circumvention using virtual private networks. Apps providing free VPNs - which allow people to disguise their location online, in order to access the web from a different location - topped free app download charts on Apple's App Store after the rules came into effect on has defended the measures as no "silver bullet" but said they will help make the internet safer for children by reducing the chance of them "stumbling across porn".
CNA
31-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
UK probes 34 porn sites under new age-check rules
LONDON :Britain's media regulator on Thursday launched investigations into the compliance of four companies, which collectively run 34 pornography sites, following the country's new age-check requirement rules coming into force. Ofcom said it was formally probing whether the companies - 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment S.A. and Trendio Ltd - had "highly effective" age verification checks in place to protect children from encountering pornography across the websites. These companies have been prioritised based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operate and their user numbers, the watchdog added. Britain's Online Safety Act, passed in 2023 by the previous Conservative government, sets tougher standards for platforms to tackle criminal activity, with an emphasis on child protection and illegal content. The legislation requires pornography sites and other platforms hosting harmful content to implement robust age verification systems to prevent children from accessing them. Ofcom has the power to fine a firm up to 18 million pounds ($23.84 million) or 10 per cent of its qualifying worldwide revenue, or block non-compliant sites. The Labour government has said the law is a vital tool to protect children online, saying it strikes the right balance between safety and freedom of expression. Populist Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, has vowed to repeal the act, calling it a "massive overreach" that threatens free speech. In response, technology secretary Peter Kyle accused Farage of siding with "people like Jimmy Savile" - one of the UK's most prolific sexual predators - by opposing measures designed to protect children. ($1 = 0.7551 pounds)
The Sun
31-07-2025
- The Sun
Dozens of porn sites used by 9 million Brits face Ofcom probe in first major investigation since new age checks started
SOME 34 porn sites are under investigation over concerns whether they're following strict new UK age checks. Media regulator Ofcom has announced its first major probe since the Online Safety Act was introduced last week. 1 Some 6,000 porn sites have complied with the changes, which are designed to protect children from accessing inappropriate material online. Ofcom says it is looking into compliance of four companies, which collectively run 34 pornography sites. They're estimated to attract over nine million Brits. "We have opened formal investigations into whether the following providers have highly effective age checks in place to protect children from encountering pornography across 34 websites: 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment S.A. and Trendio Ltd," Ofcom said. "These companies have been prioritised based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operate and their user numbers." Platforms that fail to comply with the rules face fines or could be banned from the UK entirely.
