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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Ofcom fined 4chan Community Support LLC a total of £520,000 in March 2026 for three failures under the UK Online Safety Act: inadequate illegal-content risk assessment, missing terms-of-service protections, and failure to use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from encountering pornography. The largest penalty was £450,000 for the age-assurance failure. This total is separate from a £20,000 penalty imposed in October 2025 over failures to answer statutory information requests.
What Ofcom fined 4chan for in March 2026
Ofcom issued 4chan Community Support LLC a Confirmation Decision concerning 4chan.org on 19 March 2026. It found three ongoing failures under the Online Safety Act 2023. The non-confidential version of the decision was published on 21 April 2026.
| Duty | Ofcom’s finding | Single penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Section 9(2) | Failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient illegal-content risk assessment | £50,000 |
| Section 10(5) | Failure to include terms-of-service provisions explaining how people would be protected from illegal content | £20,000 |
| Section 12 | Failure to use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from encountering pornography | £450,000 |
The three penalties total £520,000. Ofcom’s announcement specifically describes the £450,000 component as a penalty for not having age checks in place to prevent children from seeing pornography.
Why the October 2025 £20,000 penalty is separate
Ofcom had already imposed a distinct £20,000 fixed penalty on 13 October 2025. That earlier decision concerned two failures to comply with statutory information requests under section 102(8)(a), rather than the three duties in the March 2026 decision. The October case also required 4chan to provide the requested information.
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The October case record described a separate conditional rate of £100 per day if the information was not supplied, subject to the duration specified in that case or the information being provided. It should not be added to the March decision’s £520,000 total.
What 4chan was required to do, and when
For the March decision, Ofcom required the company to complete the risk assessment, add the required terms-of-service provisions, and implement highly effective age assurance by 2 April 2026.
The case record set additional daily penalties if the requirements remained unmet. Each rate was stated to apply from the day after the deadline until compliance or, if sooner, 1 June 2026:
- £200 per day for the risk-assessment duty.
- £100 per day for the terms-of-service provisions.
- £500 per day for the age-assurance requirement.
These rates were conditional. The available case materials do not establish whether 4chan later complied, how long any non-compliance continued, or how much ultimately accrued.
What the cited Online Safety Act duties mean
Ofcom’s case record identifies the legal provisions behind the findings. Section 9(2) concerns assessing risks from illegal content; section 10(5) concerns stating in a service’s terms how people are protected from illegal content; section 12 concerns children’s safety, including highly effective age assurance for relevant pornography. Section 102(8)(a), cited in the separate 2025 case, concerns compliance with a statutory information request. The official Online Safety Act 2023 text sets out the provisions and related enforcement framework.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is the fine “paltry”?
“Paltry” is a judgment, not a conclusion established by the amounts in Ofcom’s case record. The sources confirm the penalties and the duties involved, but they do not provide a relevant comparison with 4chan’s revenue, Ofcom’s enforcement costs, or penalties in comparable cases. Without a defensible benchmark, the supported description is that Ofcom imposed £520,000 in March penalties, with £450,000 tied to age assurance—not that the amount is demonstrably small or large.
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