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Ofcom has initiated a formal investigation into Aylo, the company behind Pornhub, amid concerns regarding the effectiveness of the site’s newly implemented age verification system in preventing minors from accessing adult content. Earlier this year, the regulator disclosed that Pornhub began employing a fresh age-checking method for certain users, which involves a third party—in this instance, Apple.
The regulator expressed apprehension that Aylo may not have performed adequate due diligence and testing prior to rolling out this new verification procedure. As a result, Ofcom questioned whether the system is sufficiently effective at blocking underage users from viewing pornography. According to the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA), platforms hosting pornographic material are mandated to deploy highly reliable age assurance measures to confirm that users are over 18 years old.
Ofcom’s scrutiny will focus on how Aylo has implemented its age verification process and whether the company undertook the essential due diligence beforehand. It is important to note that the investigation excludes any examination of Apple’s own age checking operations. George Lusty, Director of Enforcement at Ofcom, highlighted the importance of stringent online age verification, stating, “Online age checks are a vital protection to prevent children from encountering inappropriate or harmful material, including pornography. We expect tech firms to ensure age checks are highly effective before introducing them. Anything less could leave children at risk.”
The Online Safety Act grants Ofcom the authority to impose penalties on companies that fail to comply, with fines reaching up to £18 million or 10% of the company’s global annual turnover, whichever amount is higher. This investigation marks the latest episode in ongoing disagreements between Ofcom and Pornhub, one of the most visited adult websites globally. Notably, Pornhub reported a dramatic fall in UK user traffic—over 75%—following the introduction of stricter age verification measures under the OSA in October 2025. Critics have speculated that some users may have bypassed these restrictions by utilizing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
Earlier this year, Pornhub announced restrictions on access to its site within the UK, allowing only users with pre-existing accounts to view content, citing the new stringent regulations as the cause. Aylo criticized recent updates to the Online Safety Act, claiming the measures “have not achieved its goal of protecting minors” and have instead “diverted traffic to darker, unregulated corners of the internet.” However, by May, the company indicated it would reinstate site availability for a segment of UK Apple users who confirmed their age using the latest version of Apple’s iOS, its mobile operating system
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