Ofcom says online services reaching UK users must comply with UK law
OfcomUK communications and online-safety regulator
Ofcom argues that services reaching UK users must follow UK safety requirements.
“As in other industries, companies that provide an online service to people in the UK must comply with UK laws.”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
4chan lawyer Preston Byrne says Ofcom cannot enforce its fines in the United States
Preston Byrne, 4chan's lawyer, calls Ofcom's warning about foreign collection limits a practical defeat. Ofcom defends its UK safety duties and describes enforcement options. A U.S. court dismissed 4chan's challenge on immunity grounds without deciding a future collection case.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Ofcom defends applying UK safety duties to services used in the UK and describes court recovery and business-disruption options. It distinguishes UK users from users abroad.
Before the quotation
Ofcom's statement announces fines against 4chan.
After the quotation
It says the Act protects UK users and does not require restrictions on what people in other countries can see.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Ofcom's pursuit of penalties against 4chan, the regulator defends the territorial basis for applying its safety duties. This does not establish how a U.S. court would treat collection.
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More from this case
Read the full casePreston Byrne says Ofcom cannot enforce the Online Safety Act in America
“Ofcom can’t enforce the Online Safety Act in America.”Read statement
Ofcom's Melanie Dawes says some online safety fines may be unrecoverable if foreign courts intervene
Ofcom
“We won't be able to recover every single fine on online safety. If foreign courts decide to try and get in our way, there will be a point at which we have to accept that we won't be able to recover that money. But we will always seek to go as far as we can.”Read statement
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- Ofcom says online services reaching UK users must comply with UK law
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The Dispute Index. "Ofcom says online services reaching UK users must comply with UK law". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6339-ofcom-argues-that-services-reaching-uk-users-must