Meta, TikTok, and X are challenging Ofcom in the UK High Court, arguing that the regulator's granular information requests under the Online Safety Act are disproportionate and operationally burdensome. The platforms contend that the data demands lack clear regulatory purpose and impose significant costs, marking a major legal test for the UK's new online safety oversight framework.
This legal battle marks the first major test of the UK's new oversight framework, signaling a shift from high-level policy to granular technical enforcement. For streaming and social platforms, the outcome will define the operational cost of compliance and whether regulators can mandate specific internal data structures. If the court favors Ofcom, platforms may be forced to divert resources from safety engineering to administrative reporting to avoid massive turnover-based fines. The industry should watch for the High Court's ruling on proportionality, which will set the precedent for how aggressively Ofcom can monitor platform moderation workflows.
Meta, TikTok, and X have challenged Ofcom in the UK High Court, arguing that the regulator's granular data demands under the Online Safety Act are disproportionate. This legal battle is a major test for the UK's new oversight framework, determining whether platforms must prioritize administrative reporting over internal safety engineering efforts.
The platforms argue that Ofcom's requests for granular data on content removal and user exposure are disproportionate, lack clear regulatory purpose, and impose extreme operational costs.
Ofcom maintains the power to fine companies up to 10% of their global annual turnover for failing to comply with the new regulatory framework.
X claims that complying with Ofcom's data demands would require a dedicated team working for four months and would cost millions of pounds annually.
This case marks the first major test of the UK's Online Safety Act, signaling a shift toward granular technical enforcement and setting a precedent for how regulators can mandate internal data structures.
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