The country’s communications regulator has launched an investigation into whether Pornhub’s parent company, Montreal-based Aylo, violated its duty under the U.K. Online Safety Act to prevent children from accessing pornography. Ofcom is probing whether Aylo conducted proper testing and necessary due diligence before implementing its age verification system. (The Logic)

Talking point: The U.K. government introduced strict age check requirements last year, leading adult sites to use methods such as facial scanning and credit cards to ensure the user was over 18. This May, Pornbub deployed a system to let users verify their age through their Apple accounts. In its notice of the investigation, the regulator noted that it is the service provider’s responsibility, not a third party, to ensure the age verification system is effective, “no matter at what stage an age check occurs.” Aylo has claimed the U.K.’s age verification rules were sending users to less reputable sites. Vice-president of brand and community Alex Kekesi said in a statement Wednesday that the company is “working constructively with Ofcom and Apple,” through the probe. “We trust that the investigation will show Apple’s U.K. device-level age-verification update… offers one of the strongest and hardest to circumvent protections currently available for helping prevent minors from accessing age-inappropriate content.”

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