Ofcom Opens Investigation Into Pornhub’s Apple-Based Age Checks

LONDON—A new Ofcom investigation could put the spotlight on how age verification works when an adult website relies on technology built into a user’s device. The U.K. regulator is examining Aylo’s use of Apple’s age-assurance system on Pornhub and whether it provides the level of protection required under British law.

The focus of the investigation is Pornhub’s use of age signals generated through Apple’s iOS system on devices such as iPhones and iPads. Ofcom wants to establish whether the process is “highly effective” at keeping minors from accessing adult material.

George Lusty, Ofcom’s director of enforcement, said the investigation will examine whether Aylo has met its obligations under the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act of 2023.

“Online age checks are a vital protection to prevent children from encountering inappropriate or harmful material, including pornography,” Lusty said. “We expect tech firms to ensure age checks are highly effective before introducing them. Anything less could leave children at risk.”

The regulator said its initial review did not provide a clear answer on whether Aylo “has complied with its duties to prevent children from encountering pornographic content.” The company’s system relies on an age signal passed between an Apple device and the website to establish that a user has met the applicable age requirement.

Apple rolled out its device-level age-verification technology for users in the United Kingdom with iOS 26.4 in late March 2026. Apple accounts for more than 50 percent of the U.K. mobile phone market, putting the technology on devices used by millions of people.

Ofcom nevertheless has questions about whether Aylo did enough to ensure that underage users could not get around its age-assurance process when accessing its websites from Apple devices in the United Kingdom.

“Providers must also carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of whether their service is likely to be accessed by children,” Ofcom said. “They must do this before making any significant change to the design or operation of their service, or in response to evidence about reduced effectiveness of age checks.”

Ofcom added, “We are concerned that Aylo may not have conducted sufficient due diligence and testing before implementing its new age assurance process. As a result, we are concerned that Aylo’s process may not be highly effective at preventing children from seeing pornography.”

Aylo rejected Ofcom’s concerns. The investigation also comes after Ofcom had previously spoken positively about Apple’s device-level approach to age verification, which the regulator had described as an innovation arising from the implementation of the Online Safety Act. The technology is now being examined in the context of Aylo’s use of it.

“Four months following our successful launch of age verification on Pornhub for eligible adult users in the U.K. who have confirmed their age through Apple’s U.K. age-verification process, Ofcom informed us that they were launching an investigation into our use of Apple’s age assurance in the United Kingdom,” said Alex Kekesi, Aylo’s vice president of brand and community, in a separate statement.

“We are committed to working constructively with Ofcom and Apple in our shared commitment to child protection,” Kekesi added. “Aylo is prepared to provide the technical evidence, testing and supporting assessments on which that position is based. Aylo will cooperate fully with the investigation and looks forward to engaging with the case team.”

Apple, which has a market capitalization of about $4.9 trillion, did not respond to requests for comment. With Ofcom examining Aylo’s use of Apple-generated age signals, the investigation also touches on the practical effectiveness of the technology Apple provides to websites.

“If our investigation finds that a company has broken the law, we can require platforms to take specific steps to come into compliance or to remedy harm caused by the breach,” Ofcom said. “We can also impose fines of up to £18 million (nearly $24 million) or 10 percent of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.”

Corey Silverstein, a U.S.-based attorney who specializes in representing clients in the adult entertainment industry, said the case could offer a useful indication of what Ofcom expects from companies using third-party age-assurance technology.

“What is particularly noteworthy here is that Pornhub apparently did implement age assurance, but Ofcom is questioning whether Aylo conducted sufficient due diligence and testing before relying on age signals provided through Apple,” Silverstein observed. “That said, the message from Ofcom to the broader adult industry is becoming increasingly clear: simply deploying an age-verification solution is not necessarily enough. Operators serving U.K. users should be prepared to demonstrate why their chosen technology satisfies the ‘highly effective’ standard” under the Online Safety Act.

He concluded, “I also think this investigation raises a much larger issue for the technology industry. If platforms cannot reasonably rely upon age-assurance signals generated by major technology companies and device ecosystems, we risk creating a fragmented system in which consumers are repeatedly required to prove their age to individual websites. That has obvious consequences for privacy, data minimization and the overall practicality of online age assurance.”