Ofcom's online safety data request is X's most burdensome from any regulator

X told a London court that Ofcom’s request for its content moderation data is “the most burdensome information request X has received from any regulator in any jurisdiction.”

The statement came out Monday as a London court hearing opened. X, Meta, and TikTok dispute Ofcom’s use of the Online Safety Act.

Online Safety Act breaches carry fines up to 10% of turnover

Ofcom’s February notices want each platform to tally posts it has removed or hidden from view. They also want to know how many users viewed harmful material.

The case is among the first court battles over the 2023 law. The Act is aimed at illegal and harmful material, with a particular focus on children.

And Ofcom can fine the worst offenders up to 10% of global turnover.

Meta says the notices cover seven services with no clear purpose

Meta’s filings object that Ofcom wants “wide-ranging and granular information” on seven of its services, but does not state what regulatory purpose that serves.

TikTok said the regulator sidestepped an existing monitoring regime with its own safeguards. And it is seeking data that the Act’s transparency provisions would not provide, TikTok says.

But Ofcom said it was unable to assess whether the regime is working without the data. It says it trimmed the request before putting it into effect.

“Parliament has charged us with the job of regulating an industry that has been unregulated and unaccountable for more than 20 years,” said an Ofcom spokesperson.

X has faced Ofcom before. In January, Prime Minister Keir Starmer asked the regulator to keep all options on the table against the platform, including a ban in the UK, over images allegedly created by its Grok chatbot.

Hearing runs until Wednesday. Meta is back next week with a second case on how Ofcom computes fees and penalties.

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