WhatsApp is now a Very Large platform in the EU, and will face tougher regulation

Meta’s WhatsApp has now gathered enough users to be designated a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), opening it up to stricter regulations in the region, reports Bloomberg.

The DSA assigns VLOP status to any online service with more than 45 million users, a threshold WhatsApp crossed last year, European Commissioner Thomas Regnier told Bloomberg. In a February 14th filing, the company said it recorded an average “approximately 46.8 million” monthly active users of WhatsApp Channels, WhatsApp’s broadcasting feature, over the last six months of 2024. In a February 16th update to its privacy policy, WhatsApp also added new information about its data processing “in line with our regulatory obligations under the DSA.”

Companies designated as VLOPs are required to give users ways to report illegal goods, services, or content, and to provide ways to prevent or remove such posts. The DSA also places tight controls on what information companies can use for targeted advertising and heavier restrictions on child-targeted ads. Europeans who use VLOPs are entitled to more control over how their data is used and must be given the ability to opt out of things like recommendations systems and profiling.

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram are already considered VLOPs in the EU.