Ofcom investigates Meta’s compliance with UK online safety laws

Ofcom opened an investigation into whether Meta has failed to comply with its duties under the UK’s Online Safety Act, by not adequately assessing the risks posed by Instagram Instants before it launched. Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, tech firms must assess and mitigate the risk of people in the UK encountering illegal content, and platforms likely to be accessed by children must also assess and mitigate the risk of under-18s being exposed to certain types of harmful material. Providers must update their risk assessments before making any significant changes to their service’s design or operation. In May, Meta launched Instants as a feature in Instagram, where content shared by users disappears after it has been viewed. Ofcom launched a formal investigation to establish whether Meta failed to comply with its duties under the Act by not carrying out a suitable and sufficient illegal content risk assessment and children’s risk assessment before the launch of Instants.