Ofcom probes Pornhub owner over age verification efficacy

The UK communications regulator Ofcom has opened a formal investigation into Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, to determine whether its current age verification measures are sufficiently effective in preventing children from accessing adult content. The probe centres on the implementation of a new age assurance process that relies on technology provided by Apple. Regulators have expressed concern that the operator may not have carried out adequate due diligence or testing before deploying the system, raising questions about its ability to meet the high standards required by law.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms hosting pornographic material are legally obligated to use highly effective age assurance methods to ensure that users are over the age of 18. While the legislation mandates the outcome, it allows service providers to choose the specific method of verification they employ. Ofcom stated that its investigation will focus on how Aylo implemented these processes and whether the necessary checks were performed prior to launch. The regulator clarified that it will not examine the internal operations of Apple’s age checking technology, limiting its scope to the conduct of the website operator.

Aylo has responded by strongly defending its chosen system, asserting that it will cooperate fully with the inquiry. The company argues that after experimenting with various methods across different markets, Apple’s solution offers significantly stronger protection than any other age assurance option currently available in the UK. Aylo further contends that a system requiring individual sites to verify users may inadvertently drive traffic to non-compliant websites that pose greater risks to children. The company noted that Ofcom had previously described Apple’s technology as a positive development for families, and it maintains that the current regulatory approach has failed to achieve its goal of protecting minors.

Industry experts have raised doubts about the reliability of device-based verification alone. Iain Corby, executive director of the Age Verification Providers Association, told the BBC that a site cannot rely solely on a mobile device system unless it can demonstrate that children are actually prevented from accessing content to the required standard. He questioned whether Apple could prove that the individual accessing the site is the same person who originally verified their age, or that the filter consistently blocks access to all adult sites on the device.

This latest regulatory action is part of an ongoing dispute between Ofcom and one of the world’s most visited adult websites. In October 2025, Pornhub reported that traffic from UK users had fallen by more than 75 percent following the introduction of stricter age checks. Some observers suggested that users may be circumventing these controls using virtual private networks. In January, the site restricted access in the UK to only those with existing accounts, citing the burden of the new checks. However, in May, Aylo announced it would reopen the site for some UK users on Apple devices who had confirmed their age using the latest version of the company’s mobile operating system. Ofcom retains the power to impose fines of up to 18 million pounds or 10 percent of annual global turnover, whichever is greater, on companies that fail to comply with the law.