The European Union has classified WhatsApp as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under its Digital Services Act (DSA), setting a May 2026 deadline for full compliance.
This is according to a statement published on the European Commission’s website.
The designation follows WhatsApp’s expanding user base in the EU, where the platform records more than 51 million monthly active users, exceeding the DSA threshold for enhanced regulatory oversight.
What the EU said
According to the European Commission, platforms designated as VLOPs are required to take stronger measures to prevent the spread of disinformation, limit the manipulation of public opinion, and protect users, particularly minors.
The commission stated that Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, has four months, until mid-May 2026, to ensure the platform complies with the additional obligations that apply to Very Large Online Platforms.
“Following the designation, Meta, the provider of WhatsApp, has four months, i.e. by mid-May 2026, to ensure WhatsApp complies with the additional DSA obligations for VLOPs. These obligations include duly assessing and mitigating any systemic risks, such as violations of fundamental human rights and freedom of expression, electoral manipulation, the dissemination of illegal content and privacy concerns, stemming from its services,” they stated.
The Commission said the supervision of the platform will be carried out in cooperation with Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator.
Other platforms under scrutiny
Other platforms designated as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the Digital Services Act include Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, which were designated on 25 April 2023, as well as YouTube, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Shein, Wikipedia, and several other websites.
- The European Commission is currently investigating Facebook and Instagram over possible breaches of the DSA’s obligations to protect minors on their platforms.
- Separately, the Commission has launched a new formal investigation against social media platform X under the DSA and has also extended an ongoing probe opened in December 2023 into the company’s compliance with its recommender systems risk management obligations.
- According to the Commission, the new investigation will assess whether X properly assessed and mitigated risks linked to the deployment of its AI chatbot Grok in the EU. These risks include the dissemination of illegal content, such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including material that may amount to child sexual abuse content.
What you should know
The Digital Services Act is a landmark EU law designed to regulate large online platforms and enforce accountability as part of efforts to create a safer online environment.
- The DSA applies enhanced obligations to platforms with more than 45 million monthly active users in the EU, equivalent to roughly 10% of the bloc’s population. WhatsApp currently averages 51.7 million monthly users in the region.
- If found to be in breach of the DSA, the platform could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover, along with additional enforcement measures.
