Meta fined $597,000 by UK regulator over WhatsApp Business data
What's the story
Britain's media regulator, Ofcom, has fined Meta £450,000 ($596,565) for providing false information about its WhatsApp Business service. The fine was imposed after an 11-month period of incorrect data that violated five statutory requirements under the Communications Act. The penalty was reduced from the original amount as Meta accepted liability and agreed to settle without gaining from the misinformation.
Regulatory review
Inaccuracies in data submitted to Ofcom
In 2025, Ofcom conducted a market review of business bulk SMS text messages to understand the services available to businesses.
The regulator sought information about WhatsApp for Business, including messaging volumes and revenues.
However, Meta provided inaccurate information multiple times, with some inaccuracies unresolved for up to 11 months before corrected data was submitted.
Ongoing issues
Investigation launched in January
Ofcom launched an investigation into Meta in January over the inaccuracies.
The regulator found that Meta breached five separate information requirements under Britain's Communications Act across two requests by failing to provide complete and accurate information.
In a separate case, Meta, along with TikTok and X, lost a legal challenge against Ofcom in October over information requests made under Britain's online safety regime.