UK fines Meta US$597,000 over repeated inaccuracies in WhatsApp data
Britain’s media regulator Ofcom said on Thursday it had fined Meta £450,000 (US$597,000) for providing inaccurate information about its WhatsApp Business service in response to requests it made as part of its telecoms market review.
Ofcom reviewed the market for business bulk SMS text messages in 2025 to better understand the services available to businesses.
Ofcom sought information in 2025 about WhatsApp for Business, including messaging volumes and revenues.
The regulator said Meta had provided inaccurate information multiple times, with some inaccuracies remaining unresolved for up to 11 months before corrected data was submitted.
Ofcom launched an investigation into Meta in January in relation to the inaccuracies.
Ofcom concluded Meta contravened five separate information requirements under Britain’s communications act across two requests by failing to provide complete and accurate information.
The initial £600,000 penalty was reduced by 25 per cent because Meta accepted liability and agreed to settle and did not benefit from providing inaccurate information.
Meta said in a statement that it took its regulatory obligations “seriously” and had “cooperated fully” with Ofcom’s investigation.
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.
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