UK Comms Regulator Opens OnlyFans Investigation

Ofcom, the UK’s regulatory body for communications, has initiated an investigation into OnlyFans, an adult content subscription platform.

The probe centers on concerns that the platform may not have sufficient age-verification systems in place, leaving it vulnerable to access by minors seeking to view pornographic content. Furthermore, Ofcom suspects that OnlyFans’ parent company, Fenix International Limited, may not have been fully transparent in providing information during previous regulatory inquiries.

The investigation stems from a series of information requests issued by Ofcom in 2022 and 2023, seeking details on how the platform prevents underage access as part of a broader report on video-sharing platforms. Ofcom has raised concerns that OnlyFans’ responses may have been incomplete or inaccurate, and the platform’s age-verification measures may not fully protect minors from explicit content.

OnlyFans asserts that it works with Yoti, a government-approved age-verification provider that uses facial scanning technology. The company attributes discrepancies in previous reporting to a coding error that listed a 23-year-old age threshold when the actual setting was 20. But it emphasizes that this threshold still exceeded the legal age requirement of 18.

Ofcom’s investigation operates under existing UK regulations focused on protecting minors from harmful content, which predate the recently enacted Online Safety Act. These regulations mandate that video-sharing platforms have robust age-verification measures in place.

Source: TechCrunch

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May 2, 2024 — by Ali Nassar-Smith