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British regulator Ofcom is investigating Pornhub's use of Apple-powered age checks to verify the age of its users, following a report that the platform's age checks were not effective in preventing minors from accessing age-inappropriate content. The probe will assess the effectiveness of Pornhub's age assurance process and whether the platform's owner complied with age assurance duties under the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom has launched an investigation into Pornhub's age checks, as the platform relies on Apple's device-level age verification feature.The investigation will assess whether Pornhub's owner, Aylo, complied with age assurance duties under the Online Safety Act (OSA) in July 2025.Ofcom is examining the effectiveness of Pornhub's age assurance process and whether Aylo conducted sufficient testing and due diligence before deploying it.Pornhub restricted new UK users on February 2, 2026, after arguing that the OSA had diverted visitors toward less regulated sites rather than protecting children.Ofcom's director of enforcement, George Lusty, stated that online age checks are a vital protection to prevent children from encountering inappropriate material.The regulator can close the investigation without further action or impose a fine of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue.Ofcom is part of a broader effort to ensure that tech firms comply with age assurance duties under the OSA.
The British regulatory body, Ofcom, has launched an investigation into Pornhub's age checks, as the adult video streaming platform relies on signals supplied by Apple to verify the age of its users. The probe will examine whether Pornhub's owner, Aylo, complied with age assurance duties that came into force under the Online Safety Act (OSA) in July 2025. The investigation will assess the effectiveness of Pornhub's age assurance process and whether Aylo conducted sufficient testing and due diligence before deploying it.
In May 2026, Pornhub introduced a new age assurance process for some UK users, relying on signals supplied by Apple's device-level age verification feature. This feature indicates that an iOS user may have completed Apple's age checks, but Ofcom stressed that its investigation concerns how Aylo implemented and tested the resulting process, not how Apple operates its system.
Aylo restricted Pornhub to new UK users on February 2, 2026, after arguing that the OSA had diverted visitors toward less regulated sites rather than protecting children. Existing users who had already verified their age retained access. The decision followed a steep decline in traffic: Pornhub's UK visits fell 47 percent shortly after the rules took effect and were reportedly down 77 percent by October.
In May, Aylo partially reversed the restriction for eligible UK users who had confirmed their age through Apple. New users on Android, PCs, and other platforms remain locked out. Ofcom's director of enforcement, George Lusty, stated, "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."
Ofcom will assess both the effectiveness of Pornhub's age assurance process and whether Aylo conducted sufficient testing and due diligence before deploying it. The regulator can close an investigation without further action or impose a fine of up to £18 million or 10 percent of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. If it provisionally finds a contravention, it must give the company an opportunity to respond before reaching a final decision.
The investigation is part of a broader effort by Ofcom to ensure that tech firms comply with age assurance duties under the OSA. The watchdog has faced criticism from senior politicians and other key officials for its alleged inaction since the OSA's age assurance requirements kicked in last year. In June 2026, Dame Rachel de Souza, England's Children's Commissioner, stated that children believe the legislation "has made absolutely no difference" in preventing access to online harms.
However, Ofcom has taken action against other pornography companies, including Telegram and X, and is gearing up to target larger companies now that many of the straightforward cases involving smaller companies are concluding. The regulator's enforcement director, Suzanne Cater, pointed to actions taken against Telegram, TikTok, and X, and stated that Ofcom is committed to protecting children from online harms.
Alex Kekesi, Pornhub's vice president of brand and community, speaking on behalf of Aylo, told The Register that Aylo believes Apple's device-level age verification "offers one of the strongest and hardest to circumvent protections currently available for helping prevent minors from accessing age-inappropriate content." Kekesi pointed to public statements made to media organizations after Apple announced the new iOS feature, noting that Ofcom viewed it as a measure that could protect children in a variety of contexts.
Kekesi also stated that Ofcom has previously called for system-wide solutions to age assurance, given that the efficacy of such measures are not uniform, and dependent on each platform's individual implementation. Aylo believes that Apple's implementation presents an opportunity for constructive collaboration and for the UK to establish a meaningful precedent in advancing effective, privacy-preserving online safety.
In conclusion, the investigation by Ofcom into Pornhub's age checks with Apple-powered verification highlights the ongoing challenges faced by regulators in ensuring that tech firms comply with age assurance duties under the OSA. As the adult video streaming platform relies on signals supplied by Apple to verify the age of its users, Ofcom's probe will examine whether Pornhub's owner complied with age assurance duties and whether the platform's age assurance process is effective in preventing minors from accessing age-inappropriate content.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/British-Regulator-Scrutinizes-Pornhubs-Age-Checks-with-Apple-Powered-Verification-ehn.shtml
https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/09/23/british-regulator-takes-a-hard-look-at-pornhubs-apple-powered-age-checks/5298558
Published: Wed Sep 23 11:16:59 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
