Meta✴’s messaging service WhatsApp has reached a critical user threshold that will force it to comply with stricter rules under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Meta✴ previously reported that the average monthly audience for WhatsApp public channels was 46.8 million in the second half of 2024, higher than the DSA’s 45 million threshold for large online platforms.
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«”WhatsApp’s user base has exceeded the threshold for being designated as a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act,” said European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier.
The DSA’s content moderation rules impose stricter requirements on very large online platforms with more than 45 million monthly active users in the EU, but do not take into account audiences using the core messaging feature.
The European Commission is to decide whether to include WhatsApp in a list of major online platforms that must assess the risks of illegal or harmful content and implement a mitigation strategy. Fines for breaching the DSA could be as high as 6% of a company’s annual global sales.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has steadily tightened its grip on social media in an attempt to counter mostly American tech companies. The moves have been sharply criticized by the Donald Trump administration. Last week, Vice President JD Vance criticized EU officials at the European Security Conference for trying to regulate online communication.
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