• Reddit, porn sites fined by UK regulators over children’s safety and privacy The UK’s online safety and privacy regulators are targeting companies that violate new age verification laws at both ends : Porn sites that did not keep children out, and mainstream platforms that profited from children coming in. • On February 23, media regulator Ofcom fined porn operators that failed to put “highly effective” age checks in place. • Within the same 24-hour time frame, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)-which is a separate, independent regulatory office-hit Reddit with an $18.2 million fine for unlawfully using children’s personal data for targeted advertising and recommendation systems.​​ Together, the cases show how quickly the UK is moving from guidance and “codes” to very real enforcement for services that don’t take children’s rights seriously. • Porn sites punished for weak age checks Under the UK’sOnline Safety Act 2023, services that publish or host pornography must use “highly effective” age assurance to stop children from accessing pornographic content. • That means the classic splash page warning or an “I am over 18” tick box are no longer suitable. • Porn companies have reacted in different ways as the rules began to take hold: Some big players embraced more intrusive checks; others, like Pornhub,geo‑restricted or partially withdrewfrom the UK, and a minority effectively called the regulator’s bluff and carried on with token measures.

Article Summaries:

  • The UK’s online safety and privacy regulators are targeting companies that violate new age verification laws at both ends : Porn sites that did not keep children out, and mainstream platforms that profited from children coming in. On February 23, media regulator Ofcom fined porn operators that failed to put “highly effective” age checks in place. Within the same 24-hour time frame, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)-which is a separate, independent regulatory office-hit Reddit with an $18.2 million fine for unlawfully using children’s personal data for targeted advertising and recomme

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