Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, has launched an investigation into the notorious internet message board 4chan and eight other online platforms, citing potential breaches of the landmark Online Safety Act.
The probes, announced on Tuesday, highlights Ofcom’s intensified efforts to enforce the new legislation, which aims to curb illegal online activity, with a particular focus on child protection and the spread of illicit content.
The investigation into 4chan stems from numerous complaints about alleged illegal content and activity being shared on the forum.
Ofcom stated it is specifically looking into whether 4chan has failed to implement appropriate safety measures to shield users from illegal material, adequately respond to statutory information requests, and maintain proper risk assessment records.
The regulator highlighted that 4chan has not cooperated with its requests for information.
Known since its inception in 2003 for its minimal moderation and association with the extreme fringes of the internet, including hacker groups and the far-right, 4chan has a controversial history.
The platform, originally founded by American developer Christopher Poole and owned by Japanese internet entrepreneur Hiroyuki Nishimura since 2015, gained notoriety for its users’ fervent support of Donald Trump during his 2016 election campaign.
The site was also linked to the premature dissemination of news regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s death.
Furthermore, 4chan has been implicated in radicalization, with New York’s attorney general blaming the platform for “indoctrinating” 18-year-old Payton Gendron, the mass shooter responsible for killing 10 people in Buffalo in May 2022, into “hateful, white supremacist internet subcultures.”
The Online Safety Act, passed in 2023 and fully effective since April this year, empowers Ofcom to investigate websites that fail to block and remove illegal content, including terror content, incitement to violence, racial hatred, and extreme pornography.
Penalties for non-compliance are severe, with offending websites facing fines of up to 10% of their turnover or £18 million.
They can also be blocked from the UK, and senior managers may face jail terms for repeated failings.
Beyond 4chan, Ofcom has also initiated investigations into eight other sites.
This includes a pornography provider accused of failing to prevent children from accessing its content, and seven file-sharing services that have allegedly failed to prevent the spread of child sexual abuse material.
