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A prominent online regulator has imposed a hefty £1 million fine on a leading pornographic content provider for its persistent failure to adhere to the UK’s Online Safety Act. Millenium TV has learned that despite repeated attempts to engage since an investigation launched in July, AVS Group Ltd has not responded to communications, leading to an additional £50,000 penalty.
The Online Safety Act mandates that websites hosting explicit material implement “highly effective age assurance” measures to prevent children from easily accessing adult content. The regulator has issued a strict ultimatum to AVS Group, requiring the company to implement these robust age verification systems within 72 hours, or face further daily penalties of £1,000.
Beyond the AVS Group case, sources tell Millenium TV that a significant social media platform is currently undergoing compliance remediation with the enforcement team. While the platform remains unnamed, the regulator indicated that formal action could be taken if sufficient improvements are not observed promptly. According to the regulator, these actions signal a turning point in online safety.
Oliver Griffiths, the online safety group director for the regulator, stated, “This year has seen important changes for people, with new measures across many sites and apps now better protecting children from harmful content.” He further emphasized the need for tech companies to do more in the coming year, warning, “we’ll use our full powers if they fall short.”
The regulator has previously issued fines to companies failing to implement proper age verification, including those operating deepfake “nudify” applications. However, not all entities have complied, with online message board 4Chan notably refusing to pay a £20,000 fine levied earlier this year.
The phased implementation of the Online Safety Act aims to rectify past practices where online platforms were “unregulated, unaccountable and often unwilling to prioritise people’s safety over profits.” Tougher age checks for adult websites were introduced in July, though some observers have noted that these measures can potentially be circumvented using virtual private networks (VPNs).
Millenium TV understands that the parent company of Pornhub reported a 77% drop in UK visitors since the age checks were introduced in October. Reflecting on the fines, Baroness Beeban Kidron, founder of the 5Rights Foundation, commented that such penalties are “nothing” to major tech firms. She asserted that “business disruption is everything,” highlighting the necessity for robust enforcement to ensure companies adhere to legislative requirements. “Unless we’re prepared to use the law, they’re not really doing what Parliament asked them to do,” she explained.
Attempts by Millenium TV to contact TubeCorporate, the adult content publishing platform associated with AVS Group Ltd sites, for a comment have been made. The firm’s registered address is located in Belize, a central American country, and is reportedly the registered address for numerous companies that do not maintain physical offices there.
This year also saw the introduction of stricter guidelines aimed at enhancing internet safety for women and girls, with the regulator pledging to publicly identify platforms that fail to comply. Critics continue to advocate for a toughening of the Act to further improve internet safety, particularly for women and girls.
© Millenium TV
