Ofcom has fined a pornography site operator £630,000 for failing to properly verify user ages. The requirement for ‘highly effective’ age checks came into force in July 2025, yet Fapello missed both the deadline and Ofcom’s queries.
The fine highlights the ongoing challenges regulators face in enforcing digital-age protection laws. Since May, Ofcom has penalised other adult content providers with a combined £3m for similar non-compliance.
Meanwhile, the efficacy of these fines has come under scrutiny; a firm hit with a hefty £1m penalty allegedly never responded to Ofcom's demands.
The regulator continues its vigilance, recently opening an investigation into another provider, Bit Hive. Despite such measures, one online platform has flippantly mocked Ofcom’s enforcement efforts through AI-generated cartoons of hamsters.
