Ofcom investigates 4chan and porn site over suspected child safety breaches

Ofcom investigates 4chan and porn site over suspected child safety breaches
The media regulator is looking into whether the sites have broken new rules under the Online Safety Act, which require online services to crack down on child sexual abuse material and put strong safety measures in place for UK users
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Ofcom has launched a string of investigations into 4chan, a porn site operator and several file-sharing platforms over suspected failures to protect children and prevent illegal content.
The media regulator is looking into whether the sites have broken new rules under the Online Safety Act, which require online services to crack down on child sexual abuse material and put strong safety measures in place for UK users.
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The platforms under investigation include 4chan, porn provider First Time Videos, which runs FTVGirls.com and FTVMilfs.com, and seven file-sharing services: Im.ge, Krakenfiles, Nippybox, Nippydrive, Nippyshare, Nippyspace and Yolobit.
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Ofcom said it received complaints about illegal activity on 4chan and potential sharing of child abuse images on the file-sharing sites.
It also said none of the services responded to legal information requests.
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The First Time Videos probe will examine whether it has "highly effective" age checks to stop children viewing porn, which is now a legal requirement for such sites.
A spokesperson said: "We have received complaints about the potential for illegal content and activity on 4chan, and possible sharing of child sexual abuse material on the file-sharing services."
If the companies are found to have broken the law, Ofcom can impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover, and even seek court orders to block UK access.
Article continues below
The regulator said more enforcement action is expected as wider parts of the Online Safety Act come into force from the end of July.

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The Sun

2 days ago

• The Sun

The secret settings to ‘scam-proof' your phone, stop crooks stealing your private photos & £1000s from your bank account

THOUSANDS of pounds gone in seconds, your private pics in the hands of strangers, and your loved ones ripped off too – these are just a few of the nightmare consequences of a smartphone scam. I've spent years writing about how to dodge increasingly convincing online cons that cost Brits millions a year - and it only takes a few seconds to avoid disaster by changing settings on your iPhone or Android. Online scams are big business and a recent Ofcom report warned that almost half of Brits have been drawn in by clever scammers. A quarter of those had lost money, with a fifth losing at least £1,000. They can come over the phone, text, or email, or through websites and apps. They may rush you into making an investment, trick you into thinking you're chatting with a loved one, or hoodwink you with the promise of a prize, tech support, or a refund. Now, crooks are even using AI to dish out more convincing scams faster than ever, so it's important you have the absolute best phone settings to avoid being another victim parted from their savings. Here are the iPhone and Android tricks you need to activate immediately to keep yourself and you cash safe. IPHONE TRICK #1 – SILENCE UNKNOWN NUMBERS Cold calls are a classic way for crooks to target you with a scam. So go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Calls > Silence Unknown Callers, then turn it on. This will send any calls from unknown callers straight to voicemail. If it's important, they'll leave a voicemail. You can also read transcriptions of your voicemail in real time if you've got iOS 17 or later (go to Settings > General > Software Update to check). IPHONE TRICK #2 – CALL SCREENING This one isn't out yet, but it'll land on your iPhone with the imminent iOS 26 update (likely in September). Make sure to install that (in Settings > General > Software Update), and then a robot will answer your phone calls for you. 16 It'll ask their name and reason for calling, and write out the answer in real-time on your screen. Then you can decide whether to answer or if it sounds like a scam. This also prevents scammers from being able to hear your voice and cloning it for future cons. IPHONE TRICK #3 – LOCKDOWN MODE One extreme option is to turn on Lockdown Mode – but only do this if you think you're definitely being targeted by scammers. It'll block most message attachment types, as well as links and link previews, as well as incoming FaceTime calls from unknown numbers. 16 You'll also be prevented from automatically connecting to unsafe "non-secure" WiFi networks – and you'll be blocked from adding configuration profiles that let other people change settings on your phone. Your iPhone won't work to its full potential with Lockdown Mode on, so keep that in mind: this is only for extreme cases. To switch it on, just go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Lockdown Mode > Turn On Lockdown Mode > Turn On Lockdown Mode, then follow the steps to restart your phone. IPHONE TRICK #4 – AUTHENTICATOR If you've accidentally given up your password, it's not the end of the world – as long as your online accounts also require a special authentication code to log in. You've probably had these coming via SMS, but you can also get them via an app. Authenticator codes from an app are far safer than the ones that come over text, because SMS messages are more easily hacked. And your iPhone has an authenticator code generator built in as standard. Go into the account settings for an app, then choose the option to add two-factor verification. Then scan the code with your iPhone camera, and Apple's iCloud Keychain will suggest adding it to your account. Then when you sign in, iCloud Keychain will automatically fill in the code for you. You can also manually add it by going into the Passwords app, and looking under the Codes tab. Then if you ever accidentally give up your password to an account, crooks still won't be able to log in. IPHONE TRICK #5 – CALL BLOCKING There are lots of apps that maintain giant lists of phone numbers that are known to be spam or scams. And your iPhone can use these apps to automatically block calls from these numbers. First, go to the Apple App Store in the UK, and download some call identification apps, like Truecaller or Whoscall. Then go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification. This will only appear if you've installed some ID apps. 16 16 Now, choose Silence Junk Callers, which will silence calls identified by your phone network as potential spam or fraud. This option may not appear if your phone network hasn't activated it. Then activate any Call Identification apps that you've installed. ANDROID TRICK #1 – SCAM DETECTION Millions of Android phones now have a feature called Scam Detection inside Google Messages. Make sure to update to the latest version of Android. Then when you're receiving texts, AI on your phone will scan your texts to look for "suspicious" signs that you're being scammed. It only works on conversations with non-contacts, and your texts won't be send to Google (unless you report the conversation). You'll see it working if a big red alert pops up that says "Likely Scam" – and then you'll be able report and block the sender. ANDROID TRICK #2 – APP SCANNER Dodgy apps are another way criminals will try to scam you. These apps might even seem legitimate, but they're actually silently harvesting your info or money in the background. Google automatically scans the apps you download from its Play Store – but often the most dangerous apps come are ones that you've installed from elsewhere. 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These give you an extra layer of protection on top of your password – and they're safer than the ones you get via text. On Android, the standard option is the Google Authenticator app. It's totally free and will generate log-in codes for apps and websites whenever you need them. That way, even if you accidentally give your password to a scammer, you'll still be protected. ANDROID TRICK #5 – ADVANCED PROTECTION MODE The iPhone's Lockdown Mode doesn't exist on Android – but there's something very similar called Advanced Protection Mode. You'll need to update to the latest Android 16 software (just go to Settings > System > Software Update and follow the instructions). 16 It's designed for VIPs who might be targeted by crooks – like celebs or politicians – but anyone can use it for free. If you toggle the button on, it'll activate a long list of hardcore security features to help you dodge scams and boost your security. That includes preventing your phone from being hacked by a physical cable, using AI to detect scam calls live as they're happening, saving you from unsafe Wi-Fi, and blocking you from unsafe websites and apps. You'll find it in Settings > Google > Personal & Device Safety > Advanced Protection > Device Protection. 16

Daily Mirror

14-06-2025

• Daily Mirror

Number of child criminals soars - with violent offenders as young as nine

9,544 offences were recorded last year by children aged nine or younger, but police could not take action - crimes included rapes, arson, making death threats and drug and racially motivated offences The number of crimes being committed by kids under 10 has soared 30% in five years, with kids as young as nine being investigated for violent offences. There were 9,544 offences recorded last year by children aged nine or younger – but police could not take action. This was a rise of 30% on the 7,370 under-10 crimes recorded in 2019, before the pandemic, and an 18% rise since 2022's tally of 8,064, Home Office figures show. They included rapes, arson, stalking, attacking police, making death threats and drug and racially motivated offences. In Cheshire, police faced an attempted murder suspect too young to go before the courts. ‌ ‌ Under-10s cannot be prosecuted because the law deems them not criminally responsible for their behaviour. In serious cases, social services can get involved. Experts fear seeing violent content online and via phones might be behind the surge. Campaigner Esther Ghey, whose daughter Brianna was murdered by two teens, called for families to delay giving children phones. She said: 'These figures are devastating - I recently took part in a documentary "Brianna - A Mother's Story" which also showed that peer on peer violence in schools is increasing. "The main thing that has changed over recent years is the amount of unrestricted online access that children are exposed to - almost a quarter of children ages 5-7 already have their own smartphone. Online, children are being exposed to violent pornography, extreme violence, and misogynistic content. "Ofcom found that every child they spoke to had seen violent content online, often without looking for it. This toxic material is desensitising young people and now this harm is seeping into society. 'At Peace and Mind UK, we're working hard to give families the tools and confidence to delay smartphones until an appropriate age, support healthy screen time, and be more mindful of how technology is impacting their children's development and wellbeing. However, we all need to do more. This is a societal issue and we all need to pull together to tackle this." ‌ Kevin Moore, ex-head of Sussex Police CID, also pointed to children witnessing sexual and physical abuse at home, adding: 'Whilst children's access to social media and the internet may explain some of this, I feel that there is a more fundamental reason. Children are too often witnessing sexual as well as physical violence within the home and this is unacceptable. 'This issue should be of deep concern to governments and society more generally. I speak from experience as a former police officer as well as the parent of a daughter teaching in primary education. Violent conduct by young children has been on the increase for many years now as evidenced by these statistics." Cheshire Police said: 'All crime investigation outcomes are dealt with in line with national guidelines... and with consideration of the victims' wishes.'

BBC News

13-06-2025

• BBC News

Love Island's Georgia Harrison 're-read MBE letter three times'

The sexual abuse campaigner and former reality star Georgia Harrison has told the BBC she is "honoured" to be receiving an 30, will be awarded for her efforts to tackle violence against women and girls, which includes working with the government on the Online Safety Act in says she feels "a responsibility to help" the many women who are victims of crimes such as intimate image abuse and ex-partner Stephen Bear was jailed for 21 months in 2023 after uploading sexual footage of himself and Harrison to OnlyFans filmed without her consent. Harrison, who is being awarded her MBE as part of the King's Birthday Honours, said she had to re-read the letter she received from King Charles "three times" as she "just couldn't believe it"."It's definitely not something I anticipated and it feels nice to have my work recognised because with campaigning sometimes you feel like a lot goes unnoticed," she told the former reality star appeared on ITV shows such as The Only Way is Essex in 2017 and Love Island in 2018, where she entered the villa as a bombshell and gained nationwide was during 2019 that she entered MTV's The Challenge, where she met fellow reality star Bear. The pair dated on and off for a few months, with Harrison discovering in December 2020 that the now 35-year-old Bear had uploaded intimate CCTV footage of them to streaming service OnlyFans without her subsequently reported the crime and Bear was sentenced after being found guilty of voyeurism and discussing private, sexual photographs and was then awarded compensation in a damages claim and said she would donate some of the £207,900 to says she often feels a "responsibility to help" as she worries about the increase of social media influencers fuelling misogyny and sexism. Harrison, who is currently expecting her first child, said: "I'd be scared to have a teenager right now, being completely honest, I really would be terrified". "We've seen with the rise of Andrew Tate and some men thinking the thing to do with women is to mistreat them and think they can do what they want with them," she added she feels the need to let women know, "they deserve to be treated fairly, they deserve consent and the right to their own bodies".A recent poll of teachers in the UK found three in five believe social media use has had a negative effect on behaviour in schools - with Tate being named as a reason by a number of teachers in the says she has been into some schools recently to watch consent workshops with primary school age children, describing them as "brilliant".She hopes that these type of lessons will have an impact for the next generation."I'd like to think by the time my child gets to the age where consent becomes an issue, things are going to be a lot better, because we are doing something to educate around consent and that's something that's never really been done before in this generation," she added. 'It should be a lot easier for women' Harrison says "on a positive note" women have told her case and "the strength you found" has encouraged them to take their perpetrators to court for causes of rape, domestic abuse and intimate image Bear's conviction in 2022, she has campaigned to increase the support for women and girls who have faced similar crimes to her by working on the Online Safety Act and as part of the Women and Equalities says she has been working with the committee on improving timescales for women who want to report crimes against them - as currently they only have six months after a crime has taken place to tell the police about it."It took me about four months to even realise a crime had been committed to me when it happened so its scary to think, had I been notified a few months later, I may not have had the right to justice."It should be a lot easier for women out there," she says she has also been receiving more and more messages from victims of deepfakes, which are videos, pictures or audio clips made with AI to look or sound have been recent concerns about schoolchildren using apps to distribute AI-generated deepfake content, despite the practice being Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) - a UK-based charity partly funded by tech firms - said in February there had been 245 reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse in 2024 compared with 51 in 2023, a 380% increase."I think [deepfake] technology is getting a lot more impressive and easier to access," Harrison this year, the government announced laws to tackle the threat of child sexual abuse images being generated by AI, which include making it illegal to possess, create, or distribute AI tools designed to create such material.