Closed
Duties under the Online Safety Act 2023 to protect children from encountering pornographic content through the use of highly effective age assurance.
9 May 2025
24 June 2025
Ofcom opened an enforcement programme in January 2025 into age assurance measures across the adult sector, initially focusing on regulated providers’ compliance with the Part 5 duties.
We are now investigating whether Score Internet Group LLC has failed/is failing to comply with its duties under the Online Safety Act 2023 to protect children from encountering pornographic content through the use of highly effective age assurance.
Relevant Legal Provision: Section 81 of the Online Safety Act 2023.
We have today closed our investigation into Score Internet Group LLC in relation to its studio site, Scoreland.com.
We launched an investigation due to concerns that the service had not implemented highly effective age assurance measures to prevent children from encountering pornographic content, as required under section 81 of Part 5 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA).
In response to our investigation, Score Internet Group LLC have taken steps to implement highly effective age assurance to ensure compliance with their duties under Part 5 of the OSA.
As such, Ofcom is satisfied that the conduct that led to the opening of the investigation has ceased and we do not consider it appropriate to continue our investigation. We have therefore closed it without making any findings as to Score Internet’s compliance with its duties, either currently or prior to its confirmation that it had taken steps to comply with the OSA.
Score Internet Group LLC remains subject to obligations under the OSA and Ofcom will continue to monitor the service. Should new concerns arise—such as the availability of pornographic content without effective age assurance measures in place - Ofcom’s Enforcement team may revisit this decision.
In January 2025, Ofcom decided to open an enforcement programme under the Online Safety Act (OSA). The programme focusses on the duties for part 5 services to implement highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing pornography.
Today we have opened an investigation into Score Internet Group LLC, (in relation to the their site, Scoreland.com). The service does not appear to have taken steps to implement highly effective age assurance on their services, as required under section 81 of the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom’s investigation will examine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that each of the companies has failed, or is failing, to comply with its duties under section 81 in Part 5 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (the ‘Act’) to protect children from encountering pornographic content through the use of highly effective age assurance.
We will provide an update on these investigations in due course. Ofcom’s Online Safety Enforcement Guidance sets out how Ofcom will normally approach enforcement under the Act. This includes our approach to information gathering and analysis and the procedural steps we must take to fairly determine the outcome of the investigation.
CW/01298/05/25