Britain's media regulator Ofcom has opened a formal investigation into Aylo, the company behind Pornhub. The regulator said on September 22 that it is concerned Aylo may not have tested its age verification process well enough before launch.

The process, introduced in May, relies on signals from Apple's iOS and iPadOS devices suggesting UK users may have completed Apple's own age checks. Under the Online Safety Act, pornographic sites must use highly effective age assurance to stop children accessing explicit content.

Ofcom said the duty sits with the service provider, not Apple, and that its probe will not judge how Apple's age checks work. Aylo said it will cooperate fully with the investigation. Ofcom can fine companies up to 18 million pounds or 10 percent of global turnover, whichever is higher.

The case is an early test of whether device-level age signals can meet the law's strict standard. Ofcom has already fined adult platforms more than 1 million pounds over age check failures.