Meta, TikTok, X Challenge UK Regulator Over Online Safety Data Demands
Meta, TikTok, and X are locked in a legal battle with the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, over the amount of data the regulator is demanding under the country’s new Online Safety Act. The act, enacted in 2023, grants Ofcom broader powers to regulate social media platforms and requires them to protect users, especially children, from harmful and illegal content. The dispute centers on information notices issued by Ofcom in February, which requested detailed data on content moderation, including the number of posts removed or restricted and the number of users exposed to harmful material. The companies argue that complying with these requests would impose an excessive regulatory burden.
Meta, TikTok, and X have challenged the scope of Ofcom’s demands in court. X described the request as the most burdensome information request it has received from any regulator worldwide. Meta argued that Ofcom is seeking wide-ranging and highly detailed information across seven of its services without clearly explaining the regulatory purpose. TikTok challenged Ofcom’s approach, stating that the regulator bypassed an existing monitoring framework that already contains specific safeguards.
Ofcom has defended its information requests, asserting that the data is necessary to assess whether the new online safety regime is working as intended. The regulator also noted that it had reduced the scope of the information sought before the requests were implemented. The watchdog has been gradually enforcing the Online Safety Act, which allows it to demand information from regulated services and investigate potential breaches. The most serious violations can result in fines of up to 10% of a company’s global turnover, raising the stakes for large technology platforms.
The dispute highlights the tension between stronger online safety regulation and the compliance burden placed on technology companies. Ofcom stated that Parliament has tasked it with regulating an industry that had operated with limited oversight for over two decades. The current hearing is scheduled to continue through Wednesday, and the case could set a precedent for how far Ofcom can go in demanding detailed operational data from platforms under the Online Safety Act. A separate legal challenge by Meta concerning the calculation of Ofcom’s fees and penalties is also expected to be heard the following week.