Meta, TikTok and X have lost a legal challenge against the UK’s online safety regulator over the amount of data it can demand from social media platforms, Reuters reported on Friday.
London’s High Court rejected the companies’ case, according to Reuters. The judgment had not been published at the time of writing, so the court’s reasoning is not yet clear.
The dispute centres on information requests Ofcom sent to the platforms in February. The regulator wanted detailed figures on how they handle harmful content, including how many posts they remove or restrict, and how many users encounter such material.
The three companies argued that collecting the requested information would place an unusually heavy burden on their operations, Reuters reported. The case is among the first major legal challenges to the Online Safety Act, which became law in 2023.
The legislation gives Ofcom powers to enforce rules requiring platforms to protect users, particularly children, from illegal and harmful content. Companies that commit serious breaches can face fines of up to 10% of their global turnover.
At a hearing earlier this month, the three platforms raised different objections to the regulator’s requests. X described the notice as the most demanding request it had ever received from a regulator.
Meta argued that Ofcom wanted extensive data across seven of its services without clearly explaining how it would use it. TikTok said the regulator had bypassed a separate system for assessing platforms, which comes with its own safeguards.
Ofcom maintained that it needed the information to assess whether the new rules were working. It also said it had narrowed the scope of its requests before they took effect.
None of the three companies or Ofcom immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The ruling is part of a wider series of disputes between Meta and the regulator. The company has separately challenged Ofcom’s method for calculating fees under the Online Safety Act. Ofcom is also investigating Instagram Instants.