Meta (META), TikTok and X are legally challenging UK communications regulator Ofcom over the scope of information it is requesting under the Online Safety Act. The companies say the data demands are overly broad and create an unprecedented regulatory burden. X described its request as the most burdensome it has received from any regulator globally.
The Online Safety Act of 2023 aims to protect users, especially children, from harmful content by setting stricter standards for platforms. Ofcom says the information is needed to assess the effectiveness of the new regime. The case is one of the first major challenges to the act’s implementation. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10% of their global turnover.