UK ICO fines Imgur and 4chan over children’s privacy and online safety failures

The UK ICO has moved to fine Imgur and 4chan, due to new regulatory rules, under UK data protection and online safety laws. In the UK, there has recently been higher scrutiny on global platforms where there are child security risks.

The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) has confirmed a £250,000 fine against MediaLab, which is the parent company of Imgur. Imgur apparently failed to implement the required safeguards for children’s personal data.

After an investigation, it was found that the platform did not adequately assess the risks to users under the age of 18, since it doesn’t check the age of users properly.

According to the ICO, global platforms that let minors create accounts in the UK need to actively design their services with children’s safety as a priority.

How the data of children is handled must be disclosed, and other technical features that reduce children’s exposure to harm must be properly designed. The personal information of children under the age of 13 was allegedly processed without parental consent, for undisclosed reasons, which is illegal in the UK.

It’s not just Imgur under fire, since Ofcom is fining 4chan again. As expected, 4chan isn’t bowing down to comply with UK internet rules, since it’s a US-based company, and it goes against 4chan’s fundamental concepts of anonymity and free speech.

As a US-based entity, 4chan maintains it has no obligation to implement UK-style moderation. Furthermore, the platform notes that mandatory age verification would effectively destroy user anonymity, making full compliance a non-starter. 

Implementation of age verification breaks user anonymity, making it difficult for 4chan to comply with all the rules. This isn’t the first time 4chan has been fined. Ofcom hit them with a £20,000 fine in November 2025.

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