Meta, TikTok and X Challenge Ofcom Data Demands Under Online Safety Act
The platforms say Ofcom’s notices demand unprecedented, granular moderation data, and X called the request the most burdensome it has received.
- On Monday, Meta, TikTok, and X challenged British regulator Ofcom in court, arguing that information demands under the 2023 Online Safety Act create unprecedented regulatory burdens.
- Ofcom issued information notices in February requesting detailed content-moderation metrics, asserting the data is necessary to evaluate whether the new regime is working effectively.
- Platform representatives argue mandates impose unmanageable operational demands, with X witness statements describing the directive as "the most burdensome information request X has received from any regulator in any jurisdiction," despite similar disclosures already required under EU standards.
- Britain's regulator announced Tuesday it opened an investigation into whether Meta breached Online Safety Act duties by failing to properly assess risks for its "Instants" feature before the May launch.
- Hearings conclude Wednesday, but legal uncertainty persists as a separate Meta challenge regarding fee calculations reaches court next week, while Ofcom enforcement powers include potential fines up to 10% of global turnover.
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50 Articles
The "Instants" function, launched in May, allows sharing on the Instagram social network ephemeral content that disappears after being seen. The research aims to "determine whether Meta failed to comply with its obligations" by not carrying out, prior to the launch of that Instagram function, an adequate and sufficient assessment of the risks related to illegal content and potential dangers for minors, the statement says. "The significant change…
Meta court battle will not delay Instagram probe, Ofcom says
Meta’s legal challenge against Ofcom has not delayed the regulator’s separate investigation into Instagram, Ofcom has told City AM. The watchdog said the ongoing English High Court proceedings had “not impacted the timing” of its decision to investigate whether Meta broke UK online safety rules when it launched Instagram Instants. The comments come as Meta, [...]
For regulatory body, big tech did not properly assess the risks of illegal content
In "Instagram Instants" images disappear after first viewing – the British communications supervisor doubts that Meta has sufficiently examined the risks in advance.
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