4chan Rejects UK's Online Safety Act, Faces £18 million Fine

The online forum 4chan has engaged legal counsel to formally reject implementing the UK’s new age verification mandates. 4chan had already announced its intention in January to refuse to comply with any form of compulsory age verification requirements for its users.

According to the new UK law, Ofcom may impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of a company’s global annual turnover, whichever is higher. An official Ofcom notice announced the regulator’s intention to fine 4chan for failing to “comply with two statutory information requests.” Other reports indicate potential daily penalties of £20,000 for 4chan.

Ofcom also confirmed that it’s continuing to investigate the case, demanding that 4chan:

• adequately responds to a statutory information request;
• complete and keep a record of a suitable and sufficient illegal content risk assessment; and
• comply with the safety duties regarding illegal content.

Delaware-based 4chan, under the leadership of Japanese owner Hiroyuki Nishimura, is one of a number of US-based companies that have approached Trump for a diplomatic solution to the standoff. Its operating entity, Community Support LLC, has retained the services of Byrne & Storm, P.C., and Ron Coleman, Coleman Law P.C., to represent 4chan in this matter.

Notorious for its free speech absolutism, 4chan has attracted numerous controversies over the years regarding the presence of problematic content on its forum. The new UK laws broadly target virtually any content deemed “harmful” or “explicit” to minors, making 4chan a prime target.

Under its Category 2B designation, 4chan’s duties under the Online Safety Act are to:

• prevent users from encountering illegal content;
• swiftly remove illegal content once they become aware of it;
• use proportionate systems and processes to detect and mitigate risks of illegal content spreading.

The Online Safety Act’s new rules came into effect on 14 July, forcing numerous websites to implement “robust” age-checking methods or face serious legal consequences, including massive fines. Reddit, another popular online forum, introduced photo ID verification in order to adhere to the new regulations, as have popular sites like Pornhub, X (Twitter), Discord, and Tinder.

Ofcom’s list of “acceptable” age verification consists of highly invasive measures, such as photo ID, facial age estimation, credit card checks, and more. This has raised concerns among the public, privacy advocates, and online services about potential privacy violations. The vpnMentor’s Research Team noticed a 6,000% spike in VPN use following the Act’s rollout.