Ofcom fines 4chan £520,000 for Online Safety Act breaches

The UK's media regulator, Ofcom, has imposed a £520,000 fine on the US-based online forum 4chan for multiple failures to comply with the Online Safety Act 2023, highlighting ongoing efforts to protect children from harmful content on digital platforms.

The penalty, announced this week, primarily targets 4chan's lack of age verification measures to prevent minors from accessing explicit material, accounting for £450,000 of the total. An additional £50,000 stems from the platform's failure to conduct required assessments of risks related to illegal content, while £20,000 addresses the absence of clear provisions in its terms of service outlining protections against such material. Ofcom has ordered 4chan to implement highly effective age assurances, complete a full risk assessment, and update its terms by April 2. Non-compliance will trigger daily penalties of £500 for the age checks, £200 for the risk assessment, and £100 for the terms, continuing until June 1 or until the requirements are met.

This marks the latest enforcement action against 4chan, which has a history of resisting Ofcom's directives. In October, the regulator fined the site £20,000 for ignoring requests to...