WhatsApp, the popular messaging application owned by Meta, is defined as the “Very Large online Platform – as part of the European Union (EU) Digital Services Act (DSA). The platforms that reach this status are subject to firm regulations in the EU and face additional obligations on issues such as protection of user data and inspection of illegal content.
According to DSA, online services with more than 45 million users are classified as “very large online platform .. According to Bloomberg, WhatsApp passed this threshold in 2023. The European Commission official Thomas Regnier confirmed that the platform has reached an average of 46.8 million months old active users in the last six months.
In an official notification on February 14, 2025, WhatsApp announced that the “WhatsApp channels” feature has approximately 46.8 million active users in the six -month period. Immediately after that, on February 16, he went to the update in his Privacy Policy and shared new information about data processing processes within the scope of the DSA with users.
Platforms that gain VLOP status under the EU’s Digital Services Law have to establish systems that allow illegal products, services or content. They are also obliged to take effective measures to prevent or remove illegal or harmful contents.
In addition, significant restrictions on target advertising are imposed. DSA says that platforms bring more strict rules to the use of data in advertisements targeting children. At the same time, European users are granted more control of how their personal data is processed. For example, platforms with VLOP have to offer users with the option of releasing suggestion systems and profiling processes.
WhatsApp is not the only presence of the EU as the “very large online platform”.
META’s other major platforms Facebook and Instagram are currently considered as large online platforms by the European Union. With the addition of WhatsApp to this list, it can be said that Meta has become one of the largest regulatory printing in the EU.
The EU’s DSA regulations include large technology companies such as Google, Amazon, Tiktok, X (formerly Twitter) and Microsoft. These platforms have to comply with more strict rules on data confidentiality, combating disinformation, hate speech and prevention of illegal content.
EU officials emphasize that DSA aims to make online environments safer and more transparent. New rules for WhatsApp and other major platforms aim to better protect the digital rights of European users.