Ofcom has fined the operator of the pornography site Fapello £630,000 for failing to verify the ages of its UK users, as required under rules introduced in July 2025. Since that date, sites hosting adult content must use "highly effective" age assurance to confirm that UK visitors are aged 18 or over, a measure the regulator describes as central to protecting children from harmful material. Ofcom said the company had introduced no checks at all and failed to respond to requests for information on time, underscoring that age verification is now a legal obligation rather than an optional step.

The penalty comprises £600,000 for not putting age-check systems in place and a further £30,000 for the late response, following an investigation opened in November. Although Fapello has since blocked UK visitors, Ofcom said it would continue monitoring compliance. The fine forms part of a wider enforcement drive: YoungTek Solutions was fined £600,000 in May and another operator £1.35m earlier, while Ofcom remains locked in a dispute with message board 4chan over an unpaid £520,000 fine. The regulator, which permits methods such as credit card checks, photo ID matching and selfie-based age estimation, has also opened a new investigation into provider Bit Hive over concerns one of its methods "may not be highly effective".