Ofcom Initiates Probe into Aylo’s Age‑Verification Measures for Pornhub

Ofcom has opened an investigation into Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, to assess whether the platform’s new age‑verification process effectively prevents underage users from accessing adult material.

In May, Ofcom reported that Pornhub introduced a new age‑verification method for certain users, which uses a third‑party service provided by Apple.

The regulator expressed concern that Aylo may not have performed adequate due diligence and testing prior to rollout, raising doubts about the system’s effectiveness in blocking underage access to pornography.

In an extensive statement to the BBC, Aylo defended its age‑verification system and affirmed its willingness to cooperate fully with the investigation.

The UK’s Online Safety Act requires porn‑hosting sites to implement highly effective age‑verification to confirm users are over 18, though it allows services to choose their own verification methods.

Ofcom will examine how Aylo implements its age‑verification processes and assess whether sufficient due diligence was carried out before launch.

The regulator clarified that it will not examine Apple’s internal age‑verification procedures.

George Lusty, Ofcom’s Director of Enforcement, stated that online age checks are essential to shield children from inappropriate content such as pornography, emphasizing that tech firms must ensure their verification methods are highly effective before deployment, otherwise children could be put at risk.

Aylo contends that its experience across various markets demonstrates that Apple’s system offers substantially stronger protection than any other age‑verification solution currently available in the UK.

Aylo also points out that Ofcom has previously lauded Apple’s technology as “a real win for children and families.”

According to Aylo, requiring each porn site to verify ages individually would push users toward less‑regulated sites that may not comply with Ofcom’s standards.

Research from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation indicates that non‑compliant sites may be more likely to host harmful or illegal content, including child sexual imagery.

Iain Corby, executive director of the Age Verification Providers Association, told the BBC that an age‑restricted site cannot rely solely on a mobile‑device‑based system unless it can demonstrate that children are consistently prevented from accessing its content to the required standard.

He expressed skepticism that Apple could guarantee that each site visit originates from the same user who originally verified their age or that its filter will universally block access to all adult sites.

The OSA authorises Ofcom to impose fines of up to £18 million or 10 % of a company’s global annual revenue, whichever is higher, on non‑compliant operators.

The investigation marks the latest in a series of disputes between Ofcom and one of the world’s most visited adult‑content platforms.

In October 2025, Pornhub reported a drop of over 75 % in UK traffic after the OSA introduced stricter age‑verification requirements.

Some observers have suggested that users may be circumventing the checks by employing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

In January, Pornhub announced that UK access would be restricted to users who had previously created an account, citing the tougher verification measures.

Aylo stated that the Act’s age‑verification amendments have “not achieved their intended goal of protecting minors.”

In May, Aylo indicated that the site would be reinstated for certain UK Apple users who verified their age using the latest iOS version.

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