Through semi-structured qualitative interviews with 14 Lebanese journalists, activists, as well as digital rights experts, this paper showcases the central ways in which WhatsApp is used to perpetuate gendered forms of harassment and violence. We draw on and extend Ahmed’s (2021) work on complaint, which argues that complaints and their procedures can show how organizations and institution’ “mechanics” uphold whiteness and violence (p. 99). Through our findings, we argue that platform companies such as Meta fail to address harms propagated on and reported via their platforms against marginalized populations. We connect this to Costanza-Chock’s (2020) work on design justice, which suggests that when new technologies are created and launched, it is imperative to first think of and involve the communities affected by it. Furthermore, Lebanese women and queer journalists/activists, having experienced gendered violence and harassment, have informed their techno-pessimistic imaginaries (Savolainen, 2022) of what platform governance at WhatsApp and other encrypted apps could look like and change toward.

The growing concentration of power and dependence on few platforms in the media sector necessitate regulatory measures to counter the potential threats to media pluralism and editorial independence stemming from this concentration. While some legal initiatives aim to address the imbalanced power dynamics between platforms and news media, such as the efforts at the EU level through the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) to establish a fair playing field in digital markets, it is crucial to empower countervailing forces. This article explores the concept of "counterpower" within the context of media concentration and platform dependence, delving into its theoretical and practical implications. The practical analysis is grounded in 12 semi-structured interviews conducted with news organisations of various sizes in the UK and the Netherlands, revealing a heightened awareness of the necessity to reduce dependences and promote more direct and engaged journalism. The interviews identified specific strategies, albeit with some limitations, highlighting the need for additional support, especially for local news organisations striving for autonomy in reducing dependences. In a nutshell, the article examines the legal prerequisites for news organisations to establish a "counterpower," serving as a complementary piece of the larger puzzle in addressing the broader challenges of media concentration and platform dependence. Finally, alongside the evolving EU regulatory framework, encompassing the DSA, DMA, and EMFA, there is a growing demand for enabling “counterpower” and developing robust media (concentration) laws in Europe, particularly focusing on safeguarding local journalism.