Ofcom investigates 4chan for not protecting users from illegal content

Graham Cluley
Graham Cluley
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Ofcom investigates 4chan for not protecting users from illegal content

Notoriously rancid discussion board 4chan has not responded to a request from Ofcom (the UK telecoms regulator) for details on how it is protecting users from illegal content.

So, now Ofcom is opening an investigation into 4chan under the Online Safety Act.

If Ofcom finds 4chan at fault, it can impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue (whichever is greater). It could even require ISPs to block access to 4chan in the UK.

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Let’s be honest — if Ofcom does pull the plug, I doubt many tears will be shed. At least not by anyone who wasn’t already banned from Reddit.

Read more discussion of this issue in the comments on my LinkedIn post.


Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and hosts the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on LinkedIn, Bluesky and Mastodon, or drop him an email.

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