Ofcom Investigates Pornhub Parent Aylo Over UK Online Safety Act Compliance

Regulators are examining whether the age assurance system deployed by Pornhub parent company Aylo for its UK market re-entry meets legal compliance standards under the Online Safety Act.

Operating System Checks and Regulatory Scrutiny

Aylo stopped registering new users in the UK in February 2026, arguing that the Online Safety Act was unworkable and contending that age checks should happen at the device level instead. The company resumed operations in May 2026 by incorporating Apple’s age check signals. However, the Age Verification Provider’s Association stated at the time that Apple’s tool did not clearly achieve compliance because device-level checks fail to verify whether the individual holding the device is actually the person whose age was confirmed. According to the association, any child who knows a parent or older sibling’s PIN could access restricted material on that device.

Scope of the Ofcom Investigation

Ofcom stated that Aylo may not have conducted sufficient due diligence and testing before rolling out its new age assurance process. The formal inquiry will evaluate whether the company utilizes highly effective age assurance and whether it completed an adequate children’s access assessment. Ofcom noted, however, that its investigation will not issue a formal determination regarding Apple’s proprietary age verification system itself.

Enforcement and Industry Compliance

Aylo’s initial resistance to the regulatory framework rested partly on the continued operation of non-compliant sites across the UK. Since then, Ofcom has intensified enforcement actions, reporting in August 2026 that all of the UK’s top ten adult sites and the majority of the top one hundred are compliant. Under the legislation, the regulator holds the authority to issue fines reaching up to 18 million pounds—approximately US$24 million—or 10 percent of qualifying worldwide revenue.