Ofcom has fined the operator of a pornography site £630,000 for failing to properly check the ages of its users. The fine is part of a broader crackdown on adult content providers who have not implemented the required age checks, which came into force in July 2025.
According to Ofcom, the company behind Fapello, a popular pornography site, had not introduced any age checks and failed to respond to requests for information on time. The regulator has since fined the company £600,000 for not implementing age checks, with an additional £30,000 penalty for not providing accurate information on time.
This is not the first fine handed down by Ofcom for age check breaches. In May, the regulator fined porn company YoungTek Solutions £600,000 for similar failings, and prior to that, levied a £1.35m fine on another adult site operator.
However, Ofcom has also faced scrutiny over the effectiveness of its enforcement of age check rules for porn sites. In December, it was revealed that the regulator had never heard from a firm handed a £1m fine, prompting questions about whether monetary penalties were enough to secure action.
Ofcom has outlined various methods for verifying the age of users, including credit card checks, photo ID matching, and estimating age using a selfie. The regulator has stressed that any chosen method must be 'technically accurate, robust, reliable, and fair'.