Meta Takes UK Regulator to Court Over Online Safety Fees

LONDON, Oct 13: Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is challenging the UK media regulator Ofcom in the High Court over fees and potential fines imposed under the country’s Online Safety Act.

The court is scheduled to hear the challenge on Tuesday, with Meta arguing that Ofcom acted unlawfully in defining “qualifying worldwide revenue,” a measure used to calculate the fees technology companies must pay to fund the regulator’s online safety operations.

The Online Safety Act, which came into force in 2025, introduced measures to protect users from harmful online content. Under regulations introduced in September 2025, companies earning more than £250 million annually are subject to fees calculated according to their qualifying worldwide revenue.

Meta argues that Ofcom’s calculation method is disproportionate and unlawful. The regulator, however, has said it will “robustly defend” its position.

According to the BBC, lawyers representing Meta argued in May that the regulations should be reconsidered by Ofcom. Monica Carss-Frisk KC, representing the technology giant, described the regulator’s approach as “troubling,” arguing that it could leave a handful of companies, including Meta, bearing the vast majority of Ofcom’s costs, despite the legislation covering a wide range of internet services operating in the UK.

The dispute comes as the Online Safety Act gives Ofcom significant enforcement powers. Companies found to have breached the rules can face fines of up to 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue or £18 million ($23.7 million), whichever is greater.

Ofcom has also faced wider legal challenges over its implementation of the legislation. Earlier this year, Oliver Griffiths, the regulator’s group director for online safety, told a House of Lords committee that Ofcom was operating in a “highly litigious environment.”

He cited two legal actions involving Meta and judicial reviews brought by various online services over the regulator’s efforts to collect data.

“We absolutely are looking to drive change in the best way we can,” Griffiths told lawmakers during evidence on the Online Safety Act.