WhatsApp to Face Stricter Rules in EU, Says European Commission

The European Commission has decided to subject the messaging app WhatsApp, owned by the American tech company Meta Platforms, to stricter rules in the EU after adding it today to the list of “very large online platforms (VLOPs),” reports AFP.

The new EU rules will not apply to the entire app, but only to its specific “Channels” feature—a service that functions as a content distribution platform, rather than the app’s core messaging functionality.

Last year, WhatsApp reported in a transparency report that its Channels feature had surpassed 45 million monthly users in the EU, a threshold that triggered its inclusion on the list of very large platforms in the bloc.

Under the EU Digital Services Act, VLOPs are subject to stricter obligations compared to smaller platforms. The Commission stated that WhatsApp has four months to comply with these requirements.

The law requires platforms to act swiftly to remove illegal content and, in the case of WhatsApp, to implement mechanisms to prevent manipulation during elections within its Channels feature. The regulation also imposes transparency obligations on online advertising.

Previously, the Commission launched investigations into Meta over violations on its social networks Facebook and Instagram. In October, it was announced that the tech giant would face sanctions for a lack of transparency regarding user data and insufficient management of illegal content on its platforms.

Earlier this month, an EU Commission spokesperson indicated that Brussels is considering designating WhatsApp as a “gatekeeper” under the Digital Services Act. The act defines gatekeepers as large companies that control access to key digital services and through which a significant portion of online commerce and communication flows.

In September 2023, the Commission officially designated the first seven gatekeepers: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance (TikTok), Meta, Microsoft, and Booking.