Meta, TikTok and X lose High Court challenge to Ofcom data demands

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 13:13 · Archive

The High Court has upheld Ofcom's powers to require Meta, TikTok and X to provide retroactive safety data.

Meta, TikTok and X have lost a High Court challenge against Ofcom's demand for retroactive safety data. In February, Ofcom issued formal information notices to the platforms under the Online Safety Act, requiring them to share detailed data on content and user exposure to harmful material. The three companies jointly challenged the notices, arguing that Ofcom had unlawfully circumvented the act's specific transparency framework.

Lord Justice Singh and Justice Collins Rice found that Ofcom's information-gathering powers served a distinct regulatory purpose and that the individual notices did not legally trigger the threshold for an overarching impact assessment. The Online Safety Act, designed to tackle risks to users including children of encountering harmful content, gives Ofcom extensive powers to enforce compliance, including the ability to fine non-compliant platforms up to £18 million or 10 per cent of their qualifying global annual turnover, whichever is higher.

Ofcom welcomed the decision. An Ofcom spokesperson said: 'We welcome the High Court's decision to dismiss the challenges brought by Meta, X and Tiktok against our efforts to gather information from them. Under the Online Safety Act, Parliament has charged us with the job of regulating an industry that's been unaccountable for more than 20 years.'

How it is being reported

• Meta, TikTok and X lose hearing against UK watchdog over moderation data demandsMeta, TikTok and X have lost a legal challenge against the UK's regulator over the amount of information it is demanding under new laws.Sky News · 30 Oct, 12:50
• Meta and Tiktok lose High Court battle against Ofcom’s regulatory data demandsThe High Court has upheld the media watchdog Ofcom’s powers to harvest retroactive safety data from tech giants. In February, Ofcom issued formal information notices to major tech platforms, including Meta, Tiktok, and X, requiring them to share detailed data on content and user exposure to harmful material under the Online Safety Act. Meta, Tiktok, [...]City AM · 30 Oct, 12:20

In this story: Meta · TikTok · X · Ofcom · High Court

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