Meta Files Multiple Lawsuits Against UK Regulator, Challenging Online Safety Act Enforcement
nashnova research
Meta is fighting UK internet regulator Ofcom on three legal fronts — service classification, regulatory fees, and disclosure powers — in a campaign that officials warn could delay the Online Safety Act's full implementation.
What exactly is Meta suing over?
Meta is pursuing three simultaneous legal actions: ① appealing the classification of WhatsApp and Instagram as "Category 1" services; ② seeking judicial review of Ofcom's fee and penalty framework in the High Court; ③ joining TikTok and X in challenging Ofcom's power to demand internal data.
"Category 1" — the tier for the largest, highest-risk platforms — triggers extra obligations including combating fraudulent ads and reporting how illegal content is handled.
Meta's core argument: WhatsApp is a private messaging and small-group tool, not a public social platform. This means → if the classification is overturned, those extra duties would no longer apply to WhatsApp.
What is the fight over money about?
Ofcom's operating costs are shared among tech companies in proportion to their global qualifying revenue. Meta argues this formula forces the highest-earning firms to shoulder most of Ofcom's budget — disproportionate to their actual UK operations.
The penalty rules use the same base: global qualifying revenue or £18 million, whichever is higher, with fines of up to 10%. In plain terms = for a company with over $100 billion in global revenue, the theoretical fine ceiling is enormous.
The High Court hearing is set for October — a key moment for whether the fee structure survives.
Who else is challenging Ofcom's disclosure powers?
On the third front, Meta is not alone: TikTok and X have joined the challenge, all three contesting Ofcom's authority to compel platforms to hand over internal data and documents.
Their shared argument: some information requests exceed the scope of the law and fail the tests of necessity and proportionality. This means → they are not opposing all regulation — the dispute is over where Ofcom's powers end.
How are UK officials reacting?
Ofcom's online-safety group director Oliver Griffiths told a House of Lords committee this week that the regulator is "frustrated" with enforcement progress, describing a "highly litigious environment."
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called Ofcom's enforcement "painfully slow" and demanded it act "more robustly and more quickly." This reflects frustration aimed at both the regulator and the tech companies.
Former Conservative tech minister Damian Collins used the strongest language: he called Meta's actions "a deliberate strategy to obstruct and delay" the Online Safety Act — "a war of legal attrition" — and urged the government to give Ofcom more funding to match Big Tech's "unlimited resources."
What does Meta say in its own defence?
A Meta spokesperson said the challenges "are about how Ofcom is interpreting the law, not the law itself."
In plain terms = Meta's position is: we accept the Online Safety Act, but Ofcom is stretching it too far. The company frames the lawsuits as "normal" for any new regulatory regime, saying litigation helps clarify process, scope, and enforcement methods.
What comes next?
The Online Safety Act began phased enforcement in April 2025 and is not expected to be fully operational until next year at the earliest.
October is the critical window: the High Court hearing on fees and penalties, plus the pace of multiple appeals, will determine whether the implementation timeline holds.
This means → if Meta wins even a partial victory in October, other platforms may file similar challenges, pushing the entire regulatory framework further behind schedule.
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