Three of the world’s biggest social media platforms are taking Britain’s online safety regulator to court over how much data it can demand.
Meta, TikTok and X are challenging Ofcom over information notices issued in February under the UK’s Online Safety Act, according to Reuters. The regulator requested detailed moderation data, including how much content the companies removed or restricted and how many users encountered harmful material.
The three-day hearing began Oct. 5 and is scheduled to conclude Oct. 7. The dispute could help define how broadly Ofcom can use its information-gathering powers as it enforces one of the world’s most extensive online safety regimes.
What the companies argue
Each platform raised distinct objections. A witness statement submitted by X described the notice as “the most burdensome information request X has received from any regulator in any jurisdiction,” Reuters reported.
Meta said in court filings that Ofcom wanted “wide-ranging and granular information” about seven of its services without a clearly defined regulatory purpose. TikTok argued that Ofcom circumvented an alternative monitoring regime with specific safeguards.
Ofcom’s position
The regulator says the data is genuinely needed to evaluate whether the new regime is working and that it narrowed the scope of its requests before implementation.
“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 in a statement, per Reuters.
The dispute therefore reaches beyond the size of a single data request. At issue is how much information Ofcom can require from technology companies when assessing whether they are complying with the Online Safety Act.
A ruling that narrows those powers could affect how the regulator gathers evidence in future investigations. A decision favoring Ofcom, meanwhile, could reinforce its ability to demand detailed operational data from platforms subject to the law.
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What this means for users
UK users should not expect any immediate changes to Meta’s services, TikTok or X because of the case. The dispute concerns the information those companies must provide to Ofcom, rather than rules governing how users access the platforms.
The longer-term significance is enforcement. Ofcom needs information from platforms to assess whether they are meeting obligations under the Online Safety Act, including requirements intended to protect children from harmful content.
The court’s decision could clarify how detailed those information requests may be and how much flexibility technology companies have to challenge them.
Other news: The FTC is investigating OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI companies over potential consumer harms, including whether safety claims and safeguards adequately address the risks of increasingly autonomous AI agents.