UK regulator Ofcom is investigating OnlyFans, an online adult content subscription service, for failing to prevent children from accessing pornography through the platform.
Ofcom, the official regulator of the UK’s broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries, says it has reason to believe that OnlyFans’ parent company, Fenix International Limited, has not adequately implemented age verification measures.
The regulator is also investigating whether Fenix may have provided incomplete or inaccurate information in response to two Ofcom information requests – one in June 2022 and another in June 2023. These inquiries were intended to inform a planned Ofcom report into how video sharing platforms (VSPs) such as OnlyFans protected children from restricted material.
However, Ofcom says this:
“…the available evidence suggests that the information provided by OnlyFans in response to the two notices may not have been complete and accurate and that the age protection measures it has implemented may not have been implemented in a way that protects those under 18.” restricted material.”
A spokesman for OnlyFans said that in addition to requiring all fans to provide a name and payment card details, the company also uses a government-approved pension provider called Yoti. A “coding configuration issue” at Yoti resulted in a reporting error that stated an incorrect age limit of 23, when the company had actually set it at 20. However, the spokesman emphasized that the threshold is always above the legal age of 18.
“OnlyFans discovered the reporting error and proactively changed our reporting to Ofcom,” the spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch. “As a leading UK-based and regulated social media platform, OnlyFans works closely with Ofcom to implement and develop online safety best practices, including the use of age protection technology.”
Regulations
The UK recently introduced new rules governing online speech and media under the Online Safety Act, but these rules will not come into force until later this year. As a result, Ofcom says its investigation is being conducted under existing regulations (the Communications Act 2003), which were amended in 2020 and require UK-based VSPs to “take appropriate measures to prevent under-18s from “Year-olds access pornographic material”.
Ofcom has been the UK’s official VSP regulator since 2020.
It’s worth noting that Ofcom’s investigation only relates to UK “fans” accessing OnlyFans’ platform, and not the content creators themselves, who are already required to provide ID to register as part of their onboarding process to verify.