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Age verification on two Playboy-owned websites deemed not acceptable by media regulator
Playboy has been issued with a hefty fine by media regulator Ofcom for failing to protect children from online porn.
Two websites owned by Playboy made hardcore pornography available to anyone, without having systems in place to check how old viewers were. Playboy TV and Demand Adult were unable to check if users were over 18 or not. Ofcom said it had issued a £100,000 fine to the adult entertainment company.
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While other pornography websites are not regulated by Ofcom and the Authority for Video on Demand, Playboy's websites are. This is because its online content is similar to what it broadcasts on its adult TV channels.
Ofcom ruled that Playboy's Demand Adult website displayed hardcore pornographic material. This could be viewed by clicking on an ‘Enter I am over 18' button. Further content could be accessed by entering debit card details. Neither method of verification was deemed sufficient.
Playboy TV didn't display hardcore pornographic material on its main site, but this material could be accessed by registering and using a debit card.
Again, Ofcom ruled that this was not an effective way of verifying someone's age.
The breaches were deemed so serious that Ofcom issued two fines, £65,000 against Demand Adult and £35,000 against Playboy TV.
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