The European Union has formally classified WhatsApp as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under its landmark Digital Services Act (DSA) after the messaging giant’s “Channels” feature exceeded 51 million monthly active users in the EU, well above the VLOP threshold of 45 million.
This change marks a major shift in how Europe regulates large online services, bringing WhatsApp into the same regulatory category as platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and others already under heightened scrutiny.
Under the Digital Services Act, a comprehensive set of rules designed to create safer and more accountable online spaces, platforms that cross the VLOP threshold must now take stronger measures to confront harmful content and protect user rights.
According to the EU Commission, WhatsApp’s “Channels” feature, which allows users and organizations to broadcast updates and information to broad audiences was the part of the app that pushed it above the user threshold for VLOP classification. The private, end-to-end encrypted messaging services used for one-to-one chats remain outside DSA’s scope and are not subject to the same obligations.
Officials in Brussels have given Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, four months until mid-May 2026 to ensure compliance with the new rules that apply to VLOPs.
As the EU puts it, this next phase involves “ensuring WhatsApp complies with the additional DSA obligations for VLOPs,” and specifically obliges the company to step up efforts to identify and manage systemic risks arising from its services.
Those risks include the spread of illegal content, disinformation, electoral manipulation, violations of fundamental human rights, and privacy concerns, all of which the DSA aims to curb more effectively.
In a public statement, the Commission outlined the compliance timeline and expectations for WhatsApp’s service:
“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.”
The oversight of these enhanced obligations will be conducted in cooperation with Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator, who is responsible for supervising compliance by large online platforms.
WhatsApp’s VLOP classification is part of a larger EU push to tighten digital rules for the biggest tech platforms operating within its borders. The DSA aims to balance free expression, user protection, and platform accountability by holding dominant platforms to higher standards on moderation, transparency and risk control.
Other platforms already labeled as VLOPs include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Snapchat and various other large services, each facing similar regulatory obligations.
The DSA also allows the EU to impose heavy penalties: if WhatsApp fails to meet its obligations, the Commission could fine Meta up to 6% of its global annual turnover, a major economic deterrent.
By bringing WhatsApp into the DSA’s highest regulatory tier, the EU is shaping how major tech platforms operate in Europe’s digital market, potentially raising compliance costs for Meta and improving consumer trust, an environment that could benefit smaller competitors and strengthen investor confidence in regulated online ecosystems.
