UK Fines 4Chan for Online Safety Failures
▼ Summary
– The UK fined 4Chan £20,000 for failing to comply with Online Safety Act information requests regarding revenue and illegal content risks.
– 4Chan now faces daily penalties of £100 for up to 60 days or until it provides the requested information, capped at £6,000.
– Ofcom’s enforcement director stated this action signals robust consequences for services that ignore their duties under the Online Safety Act.
– The investigation into 4Chan began in June over concerns about illegal content on the platform and is still ongoing.
– 4Chan responded by suing the UK government in August, claiming Ofcom overreaches by applying UK law to a US-based company.
The United Kingdom has imposed a £20,000 fine on 4Chan for failing to cooperate with an investigation under the Online Safety Act. UK communications regulator Ofcom issued the penalty after the platform ignored legally required requests for details about its global earnings and risk assessment procedures concerning illegal content. This action underscores the regulator’s commitment to enforcing compliance with new online safety laws.
Should 4Chan continue its non-compliance, it now faces accumulating daily fines of £100 for up to sixty days, potentially reaching an additional £6,000. Ofcom enforcement director Suzanne Cater emphasized that this penalty serves as a stark warning to any service that disregards its legal obligations. She stated that platforms refusing to cooperate with regulatory inquiries should anticipate decisive enforcement measures. It is important to note that the current fines are relatively modest compared to the maximum £18 million penalty allowable under the legislation, as the broader investigation is still actively proceeding.
The regulatory probe into 4Chan commenced in June, initiated by concerns over the site’s potential for hosting unlawful material and facilitating illicit activities. In a countermove during August, 4Chan filed a federal lawsuit in the United States challenging the UK government’s authority. The platform’s legal argument contends that Ofcom is exceeding its jurisdictional power by attempting to enforce British regulations on a company that is based and operates primarily in the US.
(Source: The Verge)
