Ofcom has launched its first online safety investigation into Meta since the Online Safety Act came fully into force last year, examining whether the company carried out sufficient due diligence before launching a disappearing messaging feature on Instagram. The regulator said Meta had not carried out a suitable and sufficient illegal content risk assessment for Instagram Instants, a separate app allowing users to share photo messages that disappear after they are sent, and risk assessments are required before the launch of a new product under the act. George Lusty, Ofcom's director of enforcement, said significant changes to platforms must be risk assessed before they are launched, adding that you would not launch a new car without testing it properly. Meta said it takes its regulatory obligations seriously, conducted a risk analysis and briefed Ofcom about the feature on a number of occasions before launching it, and will co-operate with the investigation. The investigation comes in the same week Meta is conducting a High Court challenge against what it calls burdensome new laws, seeking to quash three Ofcom information requests concerning Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp; Meta said the regulator had asked for more than 10,000 extra pieces of information and wanted to build a bank of data, while a witness statement submitted by Elon Musk's X said Ofcom's was the most burdensome information request X has received from any regulator in any jurisdiction. Meta is separately challenging Ofcom over the fees charged to social media companies to enforce the regime, and over Instagram and WhatsApp being designated as category 1 services, which come with the most strict enforcement.
Meta Platforms Inc.Ofcom opened its first Online Safety Act investigation into Meta over insufficient risk assessment for Instagram Instants, and Meta faces related High Court challenges to Ofcom's information requests and fees.
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