Meta sues Ofcom over WhatsApp and Instagram classification in fresh Online Safety Act challenge

From the Newshound archive · first published 20 September 2026 · last updated 21 September 2026.

Meta has served legal notice on Ofcom, contesting the regulator's decision to place WhatsApp and Instagram in a higher-risk category that imposes additional obligations — among them stricter transparency requirements, expanded user controls, and greater logging of illegal content. This represents Meta's second legal challenge in London this year; the first, filed in May, disputed the methodology Ofcom uses to calculate its charges. A Meta spokesperson said the company was "challenging specific aspects of implementation" of the Online Safety Act.

Meta's May challenge contended that tying Ofcom's fees to global revenue was flawed; the Act allows for penalties of up to 10% of worldwide revenue for breaches.