Search results : 808

The UK’s communications and online safety regulator, Ofcom, announced the implementation of new requirements obligating all online platforms that host pornographic content to deploy ‘highly effective’ age assurance measures by 25 July 2025. This regulatory shift stems from the Online Safety Act 2023 and aims to prevent minors from accessing harmful content, including pornography, while safeguarding adult users’ rights to access legal material. Scope of application, implementation and compliance requirements The new age verification regime will apply broadly across...

Following the High Court judicial review decision, R (GB News Ltd) v. Ofcom [2025] EWHC 460 (Admin), brought by GB News and challenging Ofcom’s application of section 5 of the Broadcasting Code relating to due impartiality, the regulator launched a consultation which closed on 23 June 2025 entitled “Politicians presenting news: consultation on proposed amendment to Rule 5.3 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code” (the Consultation).  The High Court decision determined that GB News was allowed to use Jacob Rees-Mogg (who was an MP at the time) to act as a newsreader in a...

In R (GB News Ltd) v. Ofcom [2025] EWHC 460 (Admin), High Court judge Collins Rice allowed GB News judicial review by quashing two decisions reached by Ofcom that had assessed the broadcaster to have breached Rules 5.1 and 5.3 of the Broadcasting Code. GB News is a UK free-to-air TV and radio news channel. One of GB News' distinct characteristics is that it hires prominent politicians to host current affairs programmes including former Conservative government minister, now Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg (Rees-Mogg).  Previously, Ofcom had assessed two broadcasts of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s...

On 27 March 2025, the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, imposed a financial penalty of GBP 1.05 million on Fenix International Limited, the company behind OnlyFans, following an investigation into its age assurance practices. The penalty stems from Fenix’s failure to provide accurate and complete responses to two statutory information requests concerning its age verification systems on the adult content platform. Following an investigation launched in May 2024 under the video-sharing platform (VSP) framework (introduced in 2020 by Part 4B of the Communications Act 2003), Ofcom...

Ofcom received three complaints regarding the Geo News current affairs programme "Aapas Ki Baat" (the programme), which aired on 25 June 2024, in the run-up to the UK General Election on 4 July 2024. The complaints concerned interviews with Labour Party and independent candidates from the Birmingham Ladywood, Hall Green, and Moseley constituencies, while failing to include other candidates from those constituencies. The opportunity to take part in the programme was not offered to all the candidates, and a full list of candidates standing for election in each featured constituency was...