BRUSSELS, Feb 19 (Reuters) - WhatsApp has hit a user

criterion set out in landmark EU tech rules, the unit owned by

Meta Platforms ( META ) said, meaning it is required to do more

to tackle online illegal and harmful content.

Messaging platform WhatsApp in a February 14 filing said it

had about 46.8 million average monthly active users in the

27-country European Union in the six month period to December

2024, above the 45-million-user threshold set out in the Digital

Services Act (DSA).

"We can indeed confirm that 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 email on

Wednesday.

After receiving the designation, a platform has four months

to comply with the DSA requirements including identifying and

assessing system risks related to illegal content, fundamental

rights, public security and protection of minors.

Fines for DSA violations can reach as much as 6% of a

company's global annual revenue. Meta's Instagram and Facebook

are already classified as very large online platforms.

Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and its chief lobbyist

Joel Kaplan have criticised EU tech rules and enlisted the

support of U.S. President Donald Trump.