Ofcom, the UK’s digital regulator, has fined OnlyFans £1.05 million for failing to provide accurate information about its age verification measures. OnlyFans told Ofcom that it had an automatic age verification measure in place that allowed access to anyone it suspected of being over 23, without having to provide ID. It turns out that its technology provider for the service had accidentally set the challenger age to 20.
OnlyFans is a leading platform for adult content creators who can earn money by attracting subscribers to their account who gain access to the material for a regular payment.
OnlyFans found out that the age was set incorrectly on January 4, 2024, and has been set to age 20 since November 1, 2021. On January 16, 2025, OnlyFans told its provider to raise the age to 23 as originally intended, but just days later on January 19, reduced it down to 21. Ofcom was first informed of the issue two weeks after OnlyFans discovered it; Ofcom deemed this turnaround time to be too slow and factored it into the fine.
What also made the situation worse for OnlyFans was that in 2022, Ofcom asked it what verification methods it had in place, and it told Ofcom that it checks if users are over 23 years old. Ofcom subsequently published this in a report about video-sharing platforms in October 2022, despite it ultimately not being true.
“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,” said Suzanne Cater, Ofcom’s Enforcement Director. “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. We will hold platforms to high standards and will not hesitate to take enforcement action where we find failings.”
Ofcom said that it’s passing the fine onto HM Treasury, which will have to sort out the payments with OnlyFans. The fine includes a deduction of 30% because OnlyFans accepted Ofcom’s findings and settled the case.
This fine will serve as a warning to other tech platforms to report any breaches promptly so that they can reduce any fines they receive. The two-week delay of OnlyFans was not ignored even though the issue was self-reported by the company.
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