Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has taken legal action against Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, in a dispute over how fees and penalties are calculated under the UK’s Online Safety Act.
Ofcom confirmed in 2026 that Meta is challenging payments determined on the basis of a provider’s “Qualifying Worldwide Revenue.” The regulator said it will strongly defend its decisions and reasoning in the matter.
The Online Safety Act is a UK government law that sets out rules for online platforms, including a framework for levying fees and financial penalties on providers. Meta’s legal challenge targets the specific methodology Ofcom uses to calculate those charges — a formula tied to a company’s global revenue rather than its UK-specific earnings.
The dispute places two significant parties in direct opposition: Meta, one of the world’s largest social media companies, and Ofcom, the British regulator responsible for enforcing the Online Safety Act. No individuals were named in connection with the legal action.
The outcome of this case may have broader implications for how large technology companies are assessed and charged under the Online Safety Act, particularly given that a worldwide revenue-based calculation could result in substantially higher fees for global platforms than a domestically focused measure would.
Source: Tech-Economic Times