Meta challenges UK online safety watchdog over how fees and fines are calculated

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has challenged Britain's media regulator, Ofcom, over how it calculates fees and maximum fines under the Online Safety Act. The 2023 law allows Ofcom to impose fines up to 10% of global revenue or £18 million, whichever is greater, and to recover costs through fees based on revenue. Meta's challenge comes a week after Ofcom launched an investigation into whether the company properly assessed risks posed by Instagram's Instants feature before its May launch.

The legal dispute, filed in London's High Court, centers on Ofcom's use of global revenue instead of UK revenue to determine fees and maximum potential fines. Meta argues that Ofcom exceeded its statutory powers by defining qualifying revenue broadly to impose the highest possible penalties.