Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 26, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleWhatsApp is now classified as a major platform under the EU's Digital Services Act, requiring it to address harmful content with new compliance measures.
BRUSSELS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Monday said it had formally designated Meta Platform's WhatsApp as a very large platform under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), making it more responsible for tackling illegal and harmful content.
The Commission said earlier this month it was considering such a move, as WhatsApp had 51.7 million average monthly active users of its channels in the EU in the first six months of 2025, above the 45-million-user threshold set out in the DSA.
The DSA requires such large platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content. Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Google's YouTube, TikTok, Temu and Microsoft's Linkedin are some of the companies labelled as very large online platforms under the DSA subject to this requirement.
"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," the Commission said in a statement.
(Reporting by Yun Chee Foo, writing by Louise Rasmussen, editing by Bart Meijer)
The Digital Services Act (DSA) is a European Union regulation that aims to create a safer digital space by holding online platforms accountable for illegal and harmful content.
Meta Platforms, under the DSA, must take more proactive measures to tackle illegal and harmful content on its platforms, including WhatsApp.
WhatsApp has four months from its designation as a VLOP to comply with the additional obligations set forth by the Digital Services Act.
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