Britain has imposed a major fine of £1 million (approximately $1.33 million) on a pornography website operator for failing to implement strong age verification measures to prevent children from accessing adult content. This marks the largest penalty issued so far under the country’s new online safety laws.
According to the media regulator Ofcom, AVS Group Ltd — which manages 18 adult websites — was penalized for weak age protection systems. The company was also charged an additional £50,000 for failing to provide requested information during the investigation.
The fine comes under the newly introduced Online Safety Act, which aims to shield minors and vulnerable internet users from harmful and illegal digital content. The law, introduced earlier this year, has sparked debate and tension between British regulators and major U.S. tech companies. Critics argue the rules may suppress free speech and disproportionately impact U.S.-based platforms.
So far, three companies have been fined under the new regulations. The first was the U.S.-based online forum 4chan, which received a £20,000 fine in October.
Ofcom said it began investigating AVS in July as part of a wider review into multiple adult websites with millions of British users. Authorities concluded that the company’s age verification system was not sufficiently effective. The regulator also warned that AVS could face an additional £1,000 fine for each day it fails to correct the issue after a 72-hour deadline.