Ofcom Opens Official Investigation into Meta Over 'Instants' Feature
Ofcom has launched an investigation under the Online Safety Act into Meta to verify whether it conducted adequate risk assessments prior to launching 'Instants'.
The UK regulator Ofcom has opened an official investigation to determine whether Meta breached the UK's Online Safety Act when launching the 'Instants' feature on Instagram last May. The regulator is focusing on whether the company conducted "new, suitable, and sufficient" assessments for illegal content and risks to children before rolling out the feature, relying on Sections 9(4) and 11(4) of the Act.
'Instants' is a feature opened through Direct Messages on Instagram, allowing users to capture photos and videos within the app and instantly stream them to friends and followers. This material is described as ephemeral, as screenshots cannot be taken, a design choice the regulator linked to questions regarding child safety and exposure to harmful content.
Ofcom stated that the cited sections apply when a platform makes a "significant change to the service's design or operation," which the regulator believes warrants verifying that Meta assessed the risks associated with the new feature prior to its launch, rather than after.
The regulator clarified that opening an investigation "does not mean it has reached any conclusion" yet, but rather marks the beginning of an examination process that could take months. If violations are proven, potential fines could reach up to £18 million or 10 percent of the company's qualifying global revenue, whichever is greater, a cap that reflects the scale of regulatory risk facing major platforms in the UK market.
What do these terms mean?
Online Safety Act: UK legislation requiring digital platforms to assess and mitigate the risks of harmful content to their users, particularly children, and imposing fines for non-compliance.
Risk assessment: A mandatory study conducted by a platform before launching any new feature to identify how it might be misused, potential harm to users, and ways to prevent it.
Illegal content: Content criminalized by law, such as promoting violence or exploitation, which online safety laws require platforms to prevent and restrict from spreading.
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