Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 11 March (HL2719), whether, as a result of engagement between Aylo and XHamster, the Information Commissioner's Office was satisfied that these two websites are operating in full accordance with data protection law, including the Age Appropriate Design Code, and if not, what further regulatory action they are taking to achieve compliance.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The ICO provided advice and guidance to Aylo and XHamster on compliance with data protection legislation and on their Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs). The ICO would consider further interactions with these organisations if subsequent compliance concerns arise.
Should the ICO receive a complaint that these or any other pornography website organisations have breached their obligations, the ICO would consider the complaint and take action where necessary.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many pornographic websites have been the subject of (1) regulatory inquiries, or (2) formal investigations by the Information Commissioner’s Office, regarding their use of children’s personal data, on the basis that they are likely to be accessed by minors, since the Age Appropriate Design Code came into force in September 2020.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Following publication of its “Likely to be accessed by children" guidance, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has worked with Ofcom and engaged with two pornographic website companies (Aylo and XHamster).
During the development of its guidance on the Age Appropriate Design Code, the ICO also worked with the content subscription service provider OnlyFans on how the code would impact their processing activities.
The ICO proactively reviewed the Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for all three organisations, providing feedback where appropriate, and suggesting improvements in two cases. These were not formal investigations.