Ofcom Investigates Meta Over Instagram Instants Safety Risks
Ofcom launched an investigation into Meta Platforms to determine if the company breached UK online safety laws when launching the Instagram Instants feature.
The United Kingdom's communications regulator, Ofcom, launched an investigation on October 6 into whether Meta Platforms breached online safety laws during the rollout of the Instagram Instants feature. The feature, which allows shared content to disappear after being viewed, was released in May.
Ofcom is examining whether Meta performed suitable and sufficient risk assessments regarding child safety and illegal content before the feature's release. George Lusty, Ofcom's director of enforcement, stated that significant changes to platforms must be risk-assessed before launch to ensure safety is built in by design.
Meta responded that it conducted a risk analysis and briefed Ofcom on several occasions prior to the launch. The company noted that Instants includes built-in protections, such as blocking screenshots, reshares, and forwarding, as well as automatic Teen Account protections. Meta has a history of legal disputes with Ofcom over the Online Safety Act, specifically regarding the scope of required information and fee levels.
