The War on Porn Regular Updates about the Assault on The Adult Industry
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LONDON — Ofcom said Wednesday that it has opened investigations into two additional adult websites as regulators continue examining whether platforms are complying with the age-verification rules established under the U.K.’s sweeping Online Safety Act.
The regulator said it is investigating www.pimpbunny.com and www.kemono.cr to determine whether the operators behind the sites implemented what the law describes as “highly effective” age checks.
“Robust age checks are a cornerstone of the Online Safety Act,” an Ofcom statement said. “Sites that host pornographic material must use ‘highly effective’ age checks to determine whether a particular user is over 18, in order to prevent children from readily accessing that content.”
Under the Online Safety Act, “highly effective age assurance” measures include systems such as AI-assisted age estimation, identity verification tools and hybrid verification methods designed to improve accuracy in identifying and deterring underage users. The investigations arrive as age-verification technology continues drawing attention from researchers and critics alike, particularly after multiple reports suggested that some age-estimation systems can still be bypassed with simple disguises and other workarounds.
“We have prioritised action against these providers based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operate,” Ofcom added. “We have taken particular account of their user numbers, including where we have seen significant increases in their user traffic since age-check laws came into force last summer.”
Ofcom also provided updates on ongoing enforcement investigations involving www.fapello.com and adult tube platform www.xgroovy.com. The regulator said it had issued a decision regarding fapello.com, finding that the site breached age-verification and online safety obligations under the Online Safety Act. Meanwhile, the agency said it is widening its investigation into xgroovy after gathering evidence indicating the site may not be complying with formal statutory information requests tied to online safety and age-assurance requirements.
