The High Court has upheld Ofcom information notices requiring Meta, WhatsApp, X and TikTok to provide extensive data for the regulator’s work under the Online Safety Act 2023.
The platforms brought coordinated judicial-review challenges to notices issued in February. They argued, among other things, that Ofcom had exceeded its powers, sought information it did not require, failed to conduct an impact assessment and imposed disproportionate burdens.
Lord Justice Singh and Mrs Justice Collins Rice refused permission on most grounds because they were not reasonably arguable. The court allowed proportionality and human-rights grounds to proceed, then dismissed them on the merits. It found the companies’ evidence did not establish that the burden of supplying the information outweighed Ofcom’s statutory objectives.
The decision leaves the notices in force. It is a first-instance judgment and may be the subject of any appeal the companies are permitted to pursue. The full October 30 ruling, R (Meta Platforms and others) v Ofcom [2026] EWHC 2779 (Admin), is available from the National Archives.
