A London court backed the UK regulator Ofcom against Meta, TikTok and X, so the companies must keep answering questions about online safety.
A court in London has sided with the UK's online safety regulator over three of the biggest social media companies. On Friday, the High Court ruled against Meta, TikTok and X. The companies had tried to fight information requests from the regulator, Ofcom. The judge rejected their argument that the requests went too far.
Ofcom made the requests under the Online Safety Act, a UK law about how online platforms deal with harmful content. The three companies went to court. They said the requests were disproportionate, which means too heavy or demanding for what the regulator was trying to learn. The High Court dismissed that challenge.
The ruling touches anyone who uses Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or X, especially parents. Meta owns Facebook and Instagram. The material does not say which products the requests covered. What it does show is that the regulator can keep asking these companies for information about how they handle safety.
The material does not say what Ofcom asked for, how much work the answers will take, or when the companies must reply. It also does not say whether Meta, TikTok or X plan to appeal, or how they responded to the ruling. Any penalties or later steps by Ofcom are not covered either.
The next step is for the companies to deal with the requests Ofcom made. Whatever Ofcom learns could shape how it enforces the law. For now, the ruling is a clear win for the regulator in its first test against these platforms in this case.
A UK court has told Meta, TikTok and X they cannot dodge Ofcom's safety questions, which strengthens the regulator's hand over apps many families use.
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