- The online forum 4Chan has been fined £520,000 by UK regulator Ofcom for failing to protect children from pornography and illegal content.
- The penalties include £450,000 for lacking effective age verification, £50,000 for not assessing illegal material risks, and £20,000 for unclear user protection terms.
- 4Chan must rectify these failings by 2 April or face escalating daily penalties, building on an unpaid £26,000 penalty from October for ignoring information requests.
- Ofcom's director of enforcement said that the digital world must protect youngsters, akin to traditional safeguards against alcohol or gambling.
- The US-based platform has launched a legal case against Ofcom in the US, alleging the Online Safety Act targets American citizens' free speech rights, which the regulator is seeking to dismiss.
