Meta, TikTok and X Lose Ofcom Online Safety Act Court Challenge
Meta, TikTok and X lost their High Court challenge against Ofcom on Friday, October 30, 2026, after judges ruled that the UK regulator can demand detailed content moderation data from the platforms under the Online Safety Act. The decision is the first judicial review to test Ofcom’s information-gathering powers under the 2023 law.
The Divisional Court, made up of Lord Justice Singh and Mrs Justice Collins Rice, dismissed three joined cases brought by Meta and WhatsApp, X Internet Unlimited Company and TikTok Information Technologies UK. The judgment carries the neutral citation [2026] EWHC 2779 (Admin).
What Ofcom Asked the Platforms to Hand Over
Ofcom sent information notices to the companies in February under section 100 of the Online Safety Act, which lets the regulator require “any information” it needs for its online safety functions. According to Reuters, the requests covered detailed moderation metrics, including how many posts were removed or had their visibility restricted and how many users were exposed to harmful content.
The platforms argued the notices created an unprecedented burden. X described the demand as “the most burdensome information request X has received from any regulator” and said it would cost millions of pounds to comply.
Why the Ofcom Online Safety Act Challenge Failed
The companies raised five grounds. They claimed Ofcom was sidestepping the separate transparency reporting regime for large platforms, that the data was not actually “required,” that no impact assessment had been carried out, that the decision against TikTok was predetermined, and that the requests were disproportionate.
The court threw out the first four grounds as unarguable. It allowed the proportionality argument to proceed but rejected it on the merits, finding a “lack of pertinent substance” in the claimants’ evidence about the cost of compliance, as summarized by Blackstone Chambers, whose barristers represented Ofcom.
Meta said it was “disappointed with the court’s decision,” adding that “information-gathering of this scale goes beyond what is necessary or proportionate.” TikTok said it is considering the judgment, while X did not immediately comment. Ofcom welcomed the ruling, saying that “gathering information from companies is fundamental to our ability to do our job.”
What Comes Next for Big Tech in the UK
The ruling strengthens Ofcom as it rolls out the new regime, which allows fines of up to 10% of a company’s global turnover for the most serious breaches. A potentially bigger decision is still pending in a separate Meta case over how Ofcom calculates fees and penalties, and Meta is also contesting how WhatsApp is categorized under the law. Ofcom opened its first formal Online Safety Act investigation into Meta earlier this month.
Pressure on the company in Britain is coming from several directions at once. Earlier today, the competition watchdog opened a Meta CMA investigation into how its terms treat publisher content. Regulators elsewhere are moving in the same direction, from the European Union’s case accusing TikTok of failing to protect minors to Turkey’s new 15-year age limit for social media.
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