Overview
- The penalty includes £450,000 for failing to stop children accessing pornography, £50,000 for inadequate illegal‑content risk assessment, and £20,000 for missing protections in its terms of service.
- Ofcom ordered a “highly effective” age‑check, a completed risk assessment, and updated terms by April 2, with daily fines of £500, £200, and £100 respectively until compliance or June 1.
- The regulator said 4chan has not paid an earlier £20,000 fine issued in October for ignoring information requests about illegal‑content risks.
- 4chan’s lawyer, Preston Byrne, mocked the action with an AI‑generated hamster image and argued the site’s conduct is lawful under the US First Amendment.
- The case spotlights cross‑border enforcement limits under the Online Safety Act, which allows fines up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover.