diff --git a/privacy/classes/local/request/moodle_content_writer.php b/privacy/classes/local/request/moodle_content_writer.php
index c50720a6b45..a8d893b8776 100644
--- a/privacy/classes/local/request/moodle_content_writer.php
+++ b/privacy/classes/local/request/moodle_content_writer.php
@@ -14,17 +14,8 @@
 // You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 // along with Moodle.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
-/**
- * This file contains the moodle format implementation of the content writer.
- *
- * @package core_privacy
- * @copyright 2018 Andrew Nicols <andrew@nicols.co.uk>
- * @license http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL v3 or later
- */
 namespace core_privacy\local\request;
 
-defined('MOODLE_INTERNAL') || die();
-
 /**
  * The moodle_content_writer is the default Moodle implementation of a content writer.
  *
@@ -33,6 +24,7 @@ defined('MOODLE_INTERNAL') || die();
  *
  * Objects of data are stored as JSON.
  *
+ * @package core_privacy
  * @copyright 2018 Andrew Nicols <andrew@nicols.co.uk>
  * @license http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL v3 or later
  */
@@ -168,7 +160,10 @@ class moodle_content_writer implements content_writer {
      * @param   string          $text       The text to be processed
      * @return  string                      The processed string
      */
-    public function rewrite_pluginfile_urls(array $subcontext, $component, $filearea, $itemid, $text) : string {
+    public function rewrite_pluginfile_urls(array $subcontext, $component, $filearea, $itemid, $text): string {
+        if ($text === null || $text === '') {
+            return '';
+        }
         // Need to take into consideration the subcontext to provide the full path to this file.
         $subcontextpath = '';
         if (!empty($subcontext)) {
@@ -179,7 +174,7 @@ class moodle_content_writer implements content_writer {
         $returnstring = $path . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . $this->get_files_target_url($component, $filearea, $itemid) . '/';
         $returnstring = clean_param($returnstring, PARAM_PATH);
 
-        return str_replace('@@PLUGINFILE@@/', $returnstring, $text ?? '');
+        return str_replace('@@PLUGINFILE@@/', $returnstring, $text);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/privacy/classes/tests/request/content_writer.php b/privacy/classes/tests/request/content_writer.php
index c6e9d3d080f..3a8c64e7e30 100644
--- a/privacy/classes/tests/request/content_writer.php
+++ b/privacy/classes/tests/request/content_writer.php
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ class content_writer implements \core_privacy\local\request\content_writer {
      * @param   string          $text       The text to be processed
      * @return  string                      The processed string
      */
-    public function rewrite_pluginfile_urls(array $subcontext, $component, $filearea, $itemid, $text) : string {
+    public function rewrite_pluginfile_urls(array $subcontext, $component, $filearea, $itemid, $text): string {
         return str_replace('@@PLUGINFILE@@/', 'files/', $text ?? '');
     }
 
diff --git a/privacy/tests/moodle_content_writer_test.php b/privacy/tests/moodle_content_writer_test.php
index d40736d1d4f..e2d8de216fe 100644
--- a/privacy/tests/moodle_content_writer_test.php
+++ b/privacy/tests/moodle_content_writer_test.php
@@ -1292,6 +1292,18 @@ class moodle_content_writer_test extends advanced_testcase {
      */
     public function rewrite_pluginfile_urls_provider() {
         return [
+            'nullcontent' => [
+                'intro',
+                0,
+                null,
+                '',
+            ],
+            'emptycontent' => [
+                'intro',
+                0,
+                '',
+                '',
+            ],
             'zeroitemid' => [
                 'intro',
                 0,