Meta, X challenge UK's data rules as tech pushback against digital oversight grows
The debate has relevance for India as its Digital Personal Data Protection regime moves through a phased rollout
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Published: Oct 6, 2026 8:54 AM | 2 min read
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- Meta, TikTok, and X have legally challenged UK regulator Ofcom's requests for detailed information on content moderation and user exposure to harmful material under the Online Safety Act 2023.
- The Act imposes stricter obligations on large platforms regarding illegal content and child protection, with potential fines of up to 10% of global turnover for serious breaches.
- Ofcom's information requests, issued in February, include metrics on post removals and user exposure to harmful content, which the platforms argue are excessively broad and lacking a defined regulatory purpose.
- The ongoing legal dispute highlights a broader tension between technology companies and regulators over access to internal data, with implications for similar regulatory frameworks, such as India's Digital Personal Data Protection regime.
Meta, TikTok and X have challenged UK communications regulator Ofcom over sweeping demands for information about how they moderate content and users’ exposure to harmful material under Britain’s new online safety regime.
The challenges are among the first major legal tests of the UK’s Online Safety Act 2023, which imposes tougher obligations on large platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X, particularly around illegal content and protecting children online. Serious breaches can attract fines of up to 10% of a company’s global turnover.
Ofcom issued information notices in February asking the companies for detailed moderation metrics, including the number of posts removed or subjected to reduced visibility and data on how many users had been exposed to harmful content.
The platforms argue that the regulator has gone too far.
Meta said Ofcom had sought “wide-ranging and granular information” covering seven of its services without, in its view, a sufficiently defined regulatory purpose. TikTok argued that Ofcom had bypassed an alternative monitoring system containing specific safeguards.
X went further, describing the notice in a witness statement as the most burdensome information request it had received from any regulator globally.
Ofcom has defended the requests, saying the information is needed to assess whether the legislation is actually improving online safety and that it had already narrowed the scope of its demands before implementation.
The hearing is expected to conclude on Wednesday. Meta is also bringing a separate challenge next week over how fees and penalties under the regime are calculated.
The dispute also reflects a wider pushback by large technology platforms as governments seek greater visibility into how digital services handle user data, harmful content and algorithmic systems. Regulators increasingly argue that enforcement requires access to internal platform information, while technology companies have challenged demands they regard as excessive, vague or disproportionate.
The debate has relevance for India as its Digital Personal Data Protection regime moves through a phased rollout. The DPDP Rules were notified in November 2025 and the Data Protection Board of India has since been established, while many of the framework’s core compliance obligations are scheduled to take effect in May 2027.
As enforcement matures, similar questions around the scope of information regulators can demand, the compliance burden on platforms and the limits of regulatory access could become increasingly important for technology companies operating in India.
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