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   UK issues 1 million fine to adult platform for failing to comply with age   
   verification rules   
      
   Date:   
   Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:59:36 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   AVS Group Ltd also got hit with an additional 50,000 fee for failing to   
   respond to information requests as Ofcom strenghts its grip on Online Safety   
   Act's enforcement.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   The UK's communications regulator, Ofcom, has fined a major adult platform 1   
   million for non-compliance with its age verification rules.    
      
   AVS Group Ltd, which is the company behind 18 websites, was also served an   
   additional 50,000 fee for failing to respond to information requests.    
      
   "While AVS has implemented what it refers to as age verification, we do not   
   consider it to be highly effective," said Ofcom . The regulator has given the   
   company a 72-hour deadline to implement more effective age assurance or face   
   further fines of up to 1,000 per day.    
      
    Mandatory age verification landed in the UK last July as part of the Online   
   Safety Act. Under the rules, all websites and apps displaying content deemed   
   "harmful for minors" are required to verify their users' age.    
      
   Intended to boost children's safety online, age checks have sparked   
   significant privacy concerns among many with people turning to VPN services    
   in a bid to protect their personal data.    
      
   Today's announcement coincides with the publication of Ofcom's first report    
   on how the online safety landscape is evolving under the Online Safety Act,    
   in which the regulator acknowledged that more information is needed on VPNs .   
      
   Ofcom to strength its grip on age checks   
      
   AVS Group Ltd isn't the only company currently on Ofcom's radar and there are   
   suggestions that further fines may be on the way.    
      
   Among these, Ofcom has mentioned an unnamed major social media platform which   
   it says is at risk of getting hit with formal action if no improvements are   
   made.    
      
   Ofcom also said it has also expanded the scope of its investigation into   
   4chan. The controversial blog site previously confirmed to the BBC that it    
   had refused to pay Ofcom's daily fines.    
      
   Commenting on the regulator's work, Ofcom's Online Safety Group Director,   
   Oliver Griffiths, said: "The tide on online safety is beginning to turn for   
   the better. This year has seen important changes for people, with new    
   measures across many sites and apps now better protecting children from   
   harmful content. But we need to see much more from tech companies next year,   
   and well use our full powers if they fall short."    
      
   We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses.    
   For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms   
   and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and   
   strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone   
   using a VPN service to break the law or conduct illegal activities. Consuming   
   pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future   
   Publishing.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/uk-issues-gbp1-million-fine   
   -to-adult-platform-for-failing-to-comply-with-age-verification-rules   
      
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