The company behind the internet pornography giant OnlyFans has been handed a $1.35 million fine by a British court for failing to adequately provide information regarding how it accesses the ages of those using the subscription-based website. Fenix International Limited failed to provide precise information regarding the age assurance measures employed on OnlyFans, as required by British communications regulator Ofcom.
The inquiries, initiated in June 2022 and June 2023, sought detailed explanations of the age verification systems in place on the OnlyFans platform. In January 2024, Fenix voluntarily notified Ofcom that it had supplied incorrect details regarding the “challenge age” set within its age estimation technology.
This discrepancy prompted Ofcom to conduct several investigations into Fenix starting in May of the previous year. Suzanne Cater, Director of Enforcement at Ofcom, stressed the importance of accurate and timely information from platforms when responding to their statutory information requests.
“When we use our statutory powers to request information from platforms, they are required, by law, to ensure it is complete, accurate and delivered to us on time,” Cater said before continuing: “Receiving accurate and complete information is fundamental for Ofcom to do its job as a regulator, and to understand and monitor how platforms are operating.”
She added: “We will hold platforms to high standards and will not hesitate to take enforcement action where we find failings.”
Prior investigations have revealed multiple OnlyFans accounts making money from child sexual exploitation and spreading child sex abuse material (CSAM). One child exploitation investigator stated last year that he reported at least 26 accounts on the site featuring CSAM of underage teenage girls.
