Meta Platforms’s messaging service WhatsApp reached a crucial user milestone likely to bind it to more stringent rules under the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
WhatsApp’s open channels, which are feeds affiliated with news outlets or public figures that under the DSA are comparable to a social network, averaged about 46,8 million monthly average users in the second half of 2024, Meta said in a filing on February 14 that hasn’t previously been reported.
“WhatsApp has published user numbers above the threshold for designation as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act,” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
The commission, which is the EU’s executive arm, has been increasing scrutiny of social media in an attempt to rein in the power of predominantly American tech companies.
Those efforts have been slammed by Donald Trump’s administration, with Vice President JD Vance last week at a European security conference criticising EU officials for efforts to regulate online speech.
The DSA content moderation rulebook imposes stricter requirements on very large online platforms, defined as those whose EU-based monthly active users exceed 45 million.
Users of WhatsApp’s core messaging feature do not count toward the designation under the DSA.
The commission would still need to rule that WhatsApp should be included in the more regulated tier.
Under the DSA, very large online platforms must carry out risk assessments on the spread of illegal or harmful content, and put in place a mitigation strategy.
Fines under the DSA can reach as much as 6 percent of a company’s annual global sales. A spokesperson for Meta did not reply to a request for comment.- Bloomberg
