Ofcom Says £450,000 of 4chan Penalty Was Not a Meta Fine

The £450,000 portion of 4chan’s £520,000 penalty related to child-protection issues.

The £520,000 penalty against 4chan covered several violations, including child-protection issues. Ofcom’s enforcement action against the message board is separate from its dispute with Meta.

Meta is challenging Ofcom’s method for calculating fees under the Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom’s approach uses global revenue, rather than UK-only earnings, as the fee base. Meta argues that the approach is disproportionate and may be unlawful.

The fee calculation is separate from the law’s maximum fine. The statutory ceiling is £18 million or, when higher, one-tenth of a company’s qualifying revenue worldwide.

Separately, Ofcom has opened investigations into whether Meta met risk-assessment requirements before launching Instagram Instants, a feature introduced in May 2026.