>>14291214chan: Poster Child of Regular Site Blocking?
One can only imagine the reaction at 4chan when Ofcom advised that it had new obligations under a foreign law. Section 9(2) of the Act requires certain platforms to undertake an illegal content risk assessment, to assess the risks of users encountering ‘illegal’ content on their platforms.
The requirements were published February 24, 2025, and the ‘Illegal Content Duties’ came into effect on 17 March 2025. On April 14, Ofcom issued a ‘formal information notice’ to 4chan demanding a copy of its Illegal Content Risk Assessment and not surprisingly, received no reply.
In common with The Pirate Bay, 4chan’s non-compliance was almost inevitable. When accompanied by threats to disrupt its business, including by obtaining a court order to compel payment processors, advertisers, and hosting providers to stop doing business, while levying fines of £20,000 per day, non-compliance was effectively guaranteed. In this respect, 4chan’s response was entirely predictable.
4chan Unlikely to Attend Court in the UK
As highlighted previously, cases are more easily won when it’s understood that the defendant won’t make an appearance. We can safely assume that 4chan has the same number of tickets to London as it does Illegal Content Risk Assessments so, no, it will not attend. So far, so good then? Not exactly.
Ofcom launched its 4chan investigation on June 10, to determine compliance with various duties under the Online Safety Act.
Did 4chan adequately respond to a statutory information request? Has it conducted and kept a record of its illegal content risk assessment? Is it complying with its safety duties, including protecting its users from ‘illegal’ content?
