The operator of a so-called “nude” site has been fined for failing to implement age verification measures required under internet safety laws.
Regulator Ofcom was investigating Itai Tech Ltd, which provides artificial intelligence tools that allow users to edit images by seemingly removing someone's clothes.
Ofcom said on Thursday it had fined the company £50,000 for failing to carry out age checks, plus a further £5,000 for failing to respond to information requests.
BBC News has contacted Itai Tech Ltd for comment.
The nudity website is currently unavailable from a UK IP address, and Companies House documents show that Itai Tech Ltd recently applied to be struck off the UK Companies Register.
Ofcom said its fine was behind the company's decision to make its site unavailable to UK users, which it said happened shortly after the investigation began in May.
“Using highly effective age enforcement to protect children from harmful pornographic content is non-negotiable and we will not accept any excuses for failure,” said Suzanne Cater, Ofcom's director of enforcement.
“Any service that fails to meet its age verification responsibilities under the Online Safety Act may face severe enforcement action, including significant fines.”
It is the second fine imposed by the regulator under a law that requires pornography sites to certify that users are over 18 years old.
The first fine was imposed on online message board 4chan, which it said had failed to respond to requests for information about measures needed to prevent people from accessing illegal content.
Ofcom has set a deadline of November 13 to pay the £20,000 fine.
But a lawyer for the US company previously told the BBC it had no intention of paying. accusing the regulator of abuses and censorship.
If the companies do not pay, the regulator may try to collect fines in court or ask the court to oblige Internet providers to restrict access to the site.
From July 25, sites hosting age-restricted content will be required to have “high-impact ageing” techniques in place to prevent children from accessing them.
These include age verification tools. for example, estimating a person's agewhich must be “reliable” to determine whether the user is over 18 years of age.
Pornhub, the world's most visited porn site, told the BBC in October that UK visitors had fallen by 77%. since he implemented age verification.
Ofcom has also launched new investigations into a further 20 porn sites, bringing to 76 the number of sites and apps it is investigating for alleged breaches of the Online Safety Act.
Meanwhile, latest reports suggest the government may consider banning so-called “nudity” or “strip” apps as part of further efforts to combat deepfake intimate images.
