Meta, TikTok and X fight UK regulator's demands for safety data
Meta, TikTok and X are in a British court challenging how much data the UK regulator Ofcom can demand under its new online safety law. The case tests how well rules meant to protect children can be checked. The hearing ends Wednesday; the law allows fines of up to 10% of a company's global revenue.
Three of the world's biggest social platforms are pushing back on Britain's online safety referee. Meta, TikTok and X are challenging Ofcom, the UK media regulator, over the amount of information it is demanding, Reuters reported Monday.
The fight is one of the first legal challenges under the Online Safety Act of 2023. The law sets tougher standards for apps like TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram, with the aim of protecting children from harmful and illegal content.
In February, Ofcom sent the companies formal "information notices." They asked for detailed moderation numbers: how many posts were removed or made less visible, and how many users saw harmful content.
The companies say that goes too far. A witness statement for X called it "the most burdensome information request X has received from any regulator in any jurisdiction," Reuters reported. Meta said in court filings that Ofcom wants "wide-ranging and granular information" about seven of its services with no clear purpose. TikTok said Ofcom went around a separate monitoring system that has its own safeguards.
Ofcom says it needs the data to judge whether the new rules are working. It said it already narrowed its request. "Parliament has charged us with the job of regulating an industry that has been unregulated and unaccountable for more than 20 years," an Ofcom spokesperson said.
The stakes are high. Under the law, the most serious breaches can draw fines of up to 10% of a company's worldwide revenue or 18 million pounds, whichever is higher, London Daily News reported.
The hearing is due to end Wednesday, Oct. 7. No ruling has been announced. A separate challenge from Meta over how Ofcom calculates fees and penalties is expected next week.
What we know: The companies say Ofcom's data demands are excessive; Ofcom says they are needed.
What we don't: How or when the court will rule.
Where outlets agree Reuters and London Daily News both report that Ofcom's February notices seek counts of removed posts and users exposed to harmful content, and that the hearing ends Wednesday.
Where they differ The platforms call Ofcom's demands excessive and burdensome, while Ofcom says the data is genuinely needed and it already narrowed the request.