Two porn sites investigated for suspected age check failings

Ofcom has launched investigations into two pornographic websites it believes may be falling foul of the UK's newly introduced child safety rules.

The regulator said Itai Tech Ltd - which operates a so-called "nudifying" site - and Score Internet Group LLC had failed to detail how they were preventing children from accessing their platforms.

Ofcom announced in January that, in order to comply with the Online Safety Act, all websites on which pornographic material could be found must introduce "robust" age-checking techniques from July.

It said the two services it was investigating did not appear to have any effective age checking mechanisms.

Firms found to be in breach of the Act face huge fines.

The regulator said on Friday that many services publishing their own porn content had, as required, provided details of "highly effective age assurance methods" they were planning to implement.

They added that this "reassuringly" included some of the largest services that fall under the rules.

It said a small number of services had also blocked UK users entirely to prevent children accessing them.

Itai Tech Ltd and Score Internet Group LLC did not respond to its request for information or show they had plans to introduce age checks, it added.

The "nudifying" technology that one of the company's platforms features involves the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create the impression of having removed a person's clothing in an image or video.

The Children's Commissioner recently called on the government to introduce a total ban on such AI apps that could be used to create sexually explicit images of children.