THE APEX TIMES
A UK Divisional Court backed Ofcom’s power to issue information notices as part of online safety oversight, in a case that included Meta’s WhatsApp and rivals TikTok and X.
Meta’s WhatsApp, alongside TikTok and X, has lost a legal challenge aimed at overturning information notices issued by the UK regulator Ofcom, according to a report published by Yahoo Finance on Nov. 2.
The ruling came from the UK Divisional Court, which upheld Ofcom’s use of the notices. The notices were sent to the services for purposes related to online safety oversight, the report said.
In challenging the notices, the companies argued against the regulator’s approach, but the court confirmed Ofcom could proceed with the information gathering mechanism. The report did not indicate that the court limited the scope of the notices or narrowed Ofcom’s authority in this decision.
The case highlights the growing friction between regulators and major platforms over what companies must disclose and how regulators obtain information to police safety obligations.
For Meta, the immediate relevance is tied to WhatsApp, which is used by hundreds of millions globally and is subject in the UK to online safety rules that require companies to assess, mitigate, and report on certain risks. The court decision reduces the legal uncertainty around whether Ofcom can compel information through notices in this context.
More broadly, the outcome reflects a wider regulatory push in the United Kingdom to operationalize online safety requirements. Ofcom’s role has expanded as it has sought evidence from platforms that run user-to-user and algorithmically distributed content systems.
The companies have not disclosed, at least in the reported account, what specific information Ofcom requested or the exact compliance timeline for each notice. Details on whether the court’s decision addresses specific categories of data or whether companies can pursue further appeals were also not provided in the report.
What to watch next is whether Ofcom begins receiving or publishing the requested evidence through subsequent processes, and whether any further legal steps follow. The decision also sets a practical benchmark for other platform appeals where information-gathering powers are contested.
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