Meta, TikTok and X challenge Ofcom’s data safety demands — Channel NewsAsia
Meta, TikTok and X in the United Kingdom are challenging regulator Ofcom’s demands to provide a large volume of data under the new online safety regime. The companies object to the volume of information required from them under the Online Safety Act 2023, Channel NewsAsia reports.
What data the regulator is requesting
In February, Ofcom sent technology companies requests to provide detailed content moderation metrics. In particular, the regulator requested data on the number of posts that were removed or had their visibility restricted, as well as the number of users exposed to harmful content.
The new regime is being gradually introduced in the United Kingdom. The law sets stricter requirements for platforms, including TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram, to protect children from harmful and illegal content. Companies could face fines of up to 10% of their global turnover for the most serious violations.
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The positions of the companies and Ofcom
Meta, TikTok and X say the requirements create an unprecedented regulatory burden. In one submission filed by X, the request was called the most burdensome information request the company had received from a regulator in any jurisdiction.
Meta said in court documents that Ofcom is demanding broad and detailed information about seven of its services without a clearly defined regulatory purpose. TikTok, in turn, claims that the regulator bypassed an alternative monitoring mechanism that provided for specific safeguards.
Ofcom insists that the requested information is needed to assess the effectiveness of the new regime and that the scope of the requirements was narrowed before its introduction. A spokesperson for the regulator said Parliament had tasked Ofcom with overseeing an industry that had remained unregulated and unaccountable for more than 20 years. The hearing in the case is due to conclude on Wednesday, while a separate legal challenge by Meta over the calculation of fees and fines is expected next week.
