Teenagers pose for a photo while holding smartphones in front of a Whatsapp logo in this illustration taken September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The European Commission is considering recategorizing Meta's WhatsApp messaging service to make it more responsible for tackling illegal and harmful content, a spokesperson for the commission said on Friday.
The spokesperson said the commission is actively considering designating WhatsApp a "very large platform", which would increase its legal responsibilities to address damaging content, after it published user numbers above the Digital Services Act threshold in February 2025.
"I wouldn't exclude a future designation," spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters.
(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen; Editing by Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout and Jan Harvey)
